Lodestar (Keeper of the Lost Cities 5)
by MagesticalCookie
Summary: Sophie Foster is back in the Lost Cities, but her whole world has changed. When she's warned that the people she loves will be the next targets, she knows she has to act. The Neverseen are working on their secret Initiative-a plan that could tip the balance of war in their favor. But to stop them Sophie might have to translate a mysterious symbol-and fight someone she loves.
1. Preface

"They'll never forgive me," he whispered. There was no trace of the prankster Sophie used to know in his deathly pale face. Neither was he the angry, scared boy she had seen back in Ravagog, defiantly facing down King Dimitar

He was the Neverseen's toy, and they had pushed him to the breaking point. Now they were just playing with him for one last time. They thought he was gone. They thought they had driven all the fight out of him.

But Sophie knew better. She knew that she could fix Keefe again, because she couldn't bear to lose him. She thought she understood him better than anyone did, maybe even better than Fitz. He was the first person she'd revealed her secrets to, the boy who'd offered her his shoulder to cry on when they'd flown Silveny to the Black Swan's base. He was the elf who tried to be serious for her when she needed it, and the elf who made her laugh when she thought no one possibly could. He was the only one who'd ever endured more suffering than her. A few months ago he'd asked when his pain ended, when he got his magical fix.

That time was now.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

SOPHIE TOSSED AND TURNED IN BED, UNABLE TO SLEEP.

There were too many things on her mind: Prentice, King Dimitar, the Neverseen—but the most important one was Keefe.

She buried her head in her pillow, hoping it would cushion some of the pain in her heart. She had lost too many people. She couldn't lose Keefe too.

Sophie remembered the last words he had said to her before helping her escape Brant and Fintan: " _Please don't hate me."_

She choked back a sob, knowing that she had to stay strong. They couldn't give up on Keefe. Sophie just had to trust that he had joined the Neverseen for the right reasons.

She jumped when the door to her bedroom creaked open.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to sleep," Edaline said, and sat down on the edge of Sophie's bed.

"Well, you were right," Sophie replied and tried to smile, but she was pretty sure it came out looking like a grimace. She hugged Ella—the stuffed blue elephant she couldn't sleep without—closer to her chest.

Edaline reached for one of Sophie's hands. "I know this has been hard on you, Sophie. But Grady and I agree that you're the strongest person we know. If you can't save your friend, nobody can."

Edaline had an uncanny knack for guessing exactly what was troubling Sophie.

"I hope you're right," Sophie whispered.

"Don't worry, it's all going to be fine," Edaline promised. "Look, I brought you some slumberberry tea, but in case you don't want it"—she snapped her fingers and a tiny black vial covered in silver dots appeared in her hand—"there's also somnalene."

Sophie took the vial gratefully and carefully squeezed one drop of the liquid into each of her eyes. She sighed. The tiny universe swimming behind her eyes was so beautiful.

"Do you want me to stay here tonight?" Edaline asked. Sophie nodded and Edaline lay down in the bed beside her.

"I love you, mom," Sophie tried to say, but she fell asleep before she could complete the sentence.

When she woke up, sunlight was streaming in through her windows and Edaline had left her room. For one blissful moment she forgot about everything that was troubling her, but then it all crashed back over her, a giant wave of worries too big for one thirteen—no, _fourteen_ year old girl. She was still getting used to the idea of counting her age from inception instead of birth.

Sophie reached up to rub her bleary eyes, and her fingers found the necklace of painted flowers that Keefe had given her. Suddenly the pain of betrayal burned in places she hadn't even known could hurt, and she had to take deep breaths to steady herself.

She couldn't break down today of all days. Today was the day she healed Prentice.

With that notion to fuel her, she dressed in a plain white tunic and pants and headed downstairs. Thankfully it was the weekend, since Sophie didn't think she could face Foxfire yet.

She found Mr. Forkle, or Magnate Leto, or whatever she was supposed to call him, in the kitchen along with Granite-as-Tiergan. They were talking with Grady and Edaline, but stopped as soon as Sophie entered the room.

"Sophie," Granite-Tiergan greeted. "As soon as you're ready, we're leaving."

"Okay," Sophie agreed. She sat down next to Edaline, who conjured her a small plate of custard bursts. Sophie didn't hesitate to stuff the gooey treats into her mouth, and she had to hold her hands up to her chin to avoid dribbling cherry everywhere.

Edaline laughed. "I know those are your favorite. Brings back lots of good memories." Sophie smiled. She knew that her parents would always miss Jolie, their biological daughter who had been killed in a fire years before, but it was nice to see them able to talk about their time with her more freely.

Sophie swallowed the custard bursts and stood up. "I'm ready," she declared.

"Good. Alright, here's the schedule: we heal Prentice, then pay Gethen a visit," Mr. Forkle-as-Magnate-Leto announced grimly.

"Um," Sophie said, wondering for about half a second if she should raise her hand like she'd had to during her human years. "What should I call you two now?" she finished. "The whole multiple identities thing is getting confusing."

"You kids, always getting confused," Forkle-Leto grumbled.

"Whatever you're comfortable with, Sophie," Granite-Tiergan said. "How about just Tiergan for now, since that's what you're used to using?"

Mr. Forkle-as-Magnate-Leto rolled his eyes at Tiergan. "When you need to address me, my name is my current appearance. I can't go handing out my secrets for free. And for the record, I have many more than three identities."

Great. Like that wasn't going to be annoying.

"Wait—am I healing Prentice without Fitz?" Sophie asked.

"The Vacker family is still getting over the shock of Alvar's betrayal. Fitz might not be able to handle the stress of the healing," Magnate Leto replied, sounding somewhat troubled. "And most likely Prentice's mind will be much easier to handle than Fintan's. What is left of Prentice's consciousness will be trying to help you, not trap you."

Sophie had to agree with that logic. Plus, she was secretly glad that Fitz wasn't coming. She was determined to be the only one taking risks this time.

Magnate Leto turned to open the door, and Sophie started to follow him. But then she stopped and turned back to hug Grady and Edaline.

"I'll see you soon," she whispered.

"See you soon," they echoed back with their arms around her.

She wished she could stay like this forever, sharing this peaceful moment with two of the people she loved most in the world. But she knew she couldn't put off what she had to do forever, so she took a deep breath and pulled out of the embrace. She walked through the door, tension building up inside her. Everything rested upon what happened next. She _had_ to heal Prentice, or they would never find out what he had been hiding.

Tiergan pulled out a blue pathfinder and twisted the sparkling facets. From what Sophie had learned, blue went to the Forbidden Cities, green went to the Ogre cities, black went to Exile, and pale yellow...pale yellow went to the Neutral Territories. Her heart ached as she remembered Keefe pulling out a yellow crystal to take him to the Neverseen….

Sophie managed to squash the pain into a deep, isolated recess of her being. She would deal with that later—only one problem at a time. For a second she stood there, steeling her nerves, wondering what could possibly come out of this. Then she stepped into the beam of light Tiergan was holding in place, letting the light carry her away.

Bright sunlight pierced Sophie's eyes, and she had to squint to make out the outline of a familiar stone cottage. She tried to stumble toward it, but her legs wouldn't move. Everything had just become a hundred times more real. What if she failed? What if she couldn't heal Prentice?

And even worse...what if he woke up, but then the grief of losing his wife broke him all over again?

Tiergan, whom Sophie hadn't noticed appear, reached for her hand. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the whole Tiergan-is-Granite thing, but today she needed somebody to lean on. And it definitely was _not_ going to be Magnate Leto.

As they walked through the doorway, Sophie reached for her necklace. But this time, it didn't hurt; instead it filled her with determination. She was going to stay strong and fix Prentice, and then she would get Keefe back, no matter what. They were friends, and friends needed each other.

Her head cleared, and she stood up straighter. She just had to _trust_ that everything would turn out alright.

Last time, she had left the stone stone cottage carrying the weight of despair on her shoulders. Now she was marching back in, filling the little cottage with the light of hope.


	3. Chapter 2

Responses:

Sassy di Angelo: Thank you soooo much! No, I'm not Shannon Messenger...I'm just a keeper fangirl who likes to write. And yes, I am a **huge** supporter of Team Foster-Keefe! **HUGE.** Also, I love cookies too. Especially oatmeal raisin cookies. I don't know why. I just do. Well, thanks again for the review! I _really_ appreciate it.

Note: Sorry guys, this is another short chapter. I promise they'll get longer, but for now just bear with me. I also apologize for the cliff hanger. Not really! *maniacal laughter*

 **Chapter Two**

SOPHIE GASPED WHEN SHE ENTERED PRENTICE'S ROOM.

She'd been expecting to find him lying on the bed, all alone and muttering nonsense.

Instead she found Dex, Physic, and Councillor Oralie, trying to hold Prentice down as he thrashed and jerked as if having a seizure.

 _I thought we might find him like this,_ Magnate Leto transmitted, making Sophie jump.

 _Mr. Tam's ability left him slightly...excited._

That was definitely an understatement. Prentice's face was beaded with sweat, and his hands were clenched so tight that his nails were digging into his skin, causing thin streams of blood to trickle down his wrists and off the side of his palms.

"What did Tam do to him?" Sophie asked, horrified. Dex turned at the sound of her voice and tried to give a friendly smile, but had to return his attention back to Prentice to avoid being smacked in the face.

Tiergan pulled a red vial out of his pocket and rushed over to Prentice. "Hold his head down," he instructed. Physic nodded and pushed down on Prentice's forehead, making him scream. Tiergan unscrewed the top of the vial and forced the liquid down Prentice's throat.

Instantly Prentice went still and silent. Physic took a white paste out of a green and brown bag sitting in the corner, and began to treat Prentice's hands.

"I had to give him a very strong sedative," Tiergan explained. "The strongest I could get my hands on. But expect him to be out for only a half hour at the most, since drugs don't work as well on a broken mind."

Oralie nodded. "Terik told me the weaker ones didn't even affect Prentice when the Council had to sedate him. Actually, I'm surprised they still work at all—since Prentice's mind has been broken for a long time."

Sophie sat down on the carpeted floor, stunned by what she had just seen.

Magnate Leto broke the silence. "To answer your earlier question, Sophie, Mr. Tam offered to take a Shade reading of Prentice," he explained. "And the results were off the chart. Darkness had been slowly taking over his mind in Exile—and before you ask, we're not sure exactly why or how. Apparently, what was left of Prentice's consciousness fought it until the shadowvapor overcame him. So your Shade friend had to purge Prentice's mind of the shadowvapor, and the process not only brought him back, it also cleared and strengthened his fractured memories, which were dimmed by shadowvapor the last time you probed his mind."

Sophie's mind lingered on the word "purge" _._ Whatever Tam did, it had to be painful.

"So you're saying that all of his broken memories are even worse now?"

Magnate Leto nodded. "And it will make your job even harder," he agreed.

"I hate to break up your super confusing conversation about minds, but I think I deserve an explanation!" Dex said, reminding Sophie that he, Physic and Oralie were still there. "Blur brought me here, left me in this room, and told me not to let Prentice hurt himself _,_ and I get this much explanation." He held up his fist with no fingers raised. "And why are you two here?" he added, pointing at Magnate Leto and Tiergan.

"We have our reasons," Magnate Leto said in the deeper, slightly raspier voice he used when he was Mr. Forkle.

"Mr. Forkle is Magnate Leto?" Dex gasped, turning to Sophie.

"Yeah. And Granite is Tiergan," she told him.

Physic looked at Magnate Leto with an annoyed expression. "You forbid me to tell them who I am, then reveal your own top secret, ultra-important, real identity?"

Magnate Leto either didn't hear the comment, or ignored it. Probably the latter.

"This is super weird. Mr. Forkle is the principal of Foxfire? Doesn't that mean the Black Swan has control over our education?"

"I guess," Sophie agreed. "It is pretty weird, isn't it?"

Dex opened his mouth again, probably to ask more questions, but Magnate Leto interrupted him.

"I daresay you'll have enough time for gossip later," he said. "Now let's turn our attention to the more important matter: Prentice."

As if on cue, he muttered something incoherent in his broken sleep.

Magnate Leto cleared his throat. "Pay attention everybody, because this is our plan and I will _not_ repeat it: Oralie will stand next to Sophie to keep track of her emotions. I will be behind her, monitoring her thoughts for warning signs. We wanted Physic here just in case something goes wrong, well, physically. To be completely honest, I don't know why Dex is here at all."

"Blur and I thought Sophie might want a friend," Tiergan explained. "And the Vackers aren't really up to it at the moment."

"What about Keefe?" Dex asked. "Wouldn't he want to be here? And he can feel Sophie's emotions even better than Oralie." He looked embarrassed when he realized he had basically insulted one of the only Councillor who actually was willing to help. Yeah, the Council had decided to let Sophie and her friends stay in the lost cities, but that didn't mean they had to like the Black Swan.

Magnate Leto and Tiergan exchanged looks. "We'll answer all your questions later," Magnate Leto promised. For a moment Dex looked like he might argue, but he didn't pursue the subject.

Sophie was relieved. She didn't want anyone to know about Keefe just yet and was already dreading telling Fitz and Biana.

"Let's get started," Magnate Leto said, breaking the silence. Everyone assumed their positions, and Oralie placed her hands lightly on Sophie's shoulders. Dex didn't seem sure of where to stand, so he reached for her hand. She felt a little awkward and thought about pulling away, but Tiergan was right. She needed a friend.

 _Be careful, Sophie,_ Magnate Leto transmitted. With her free arm, Sophie reached for Prentice's temple. The seconds stretched on; this was the moment she had been waiting for all this time, but it was so much harder in real life than in her mind. What would Prentice be like, when she healed him? Would he be mad? Hysterical? Too grieved to speak?

Prentice was so wrapped up in Sophie's past that she had felt as if he were an old friend, but now she realized that she knew next to nothing about the elf that had risked everything for her. What was his personality like? Kind and reassuring, like Alden? Brave and loyal and warm, the way Kenric had been?

Sophie had yet to prove her theory about Kenric, but she was almost certain she was right. And it hurt, so much more than even the scalding burn of everblaze.

Her mind spun and reeled and got tangled in itself, and Sophie stood still, paralyzed. Until Dex squeezed her free hand, reminding her of all the reasons she had to be strong. Of all the reasons she had to free Prentice of the madness he'd been trapped in for years. Warmth seeped into her through Dex's palm, but this time she didn't want to pull away. She channeled the heat into strength, filling the dark corners of her mind with a brilliant, white light.

Sophie dove into Prentice's mind.


	4. Chapter 3

Wow, I'm only three chapter in, and already I have more readers than I ever could've imagined. You guys are so awesome, and it makes this whole process a lot less scary. I'm new to this whole fanfiction thing, so...yeah. It's kind of freaky, I'll admit. _Good_ freaky, though. It's just so unbelievably cool to have people reading my version of _Lodestar_. I can't wait until the real deal comes out. I'll probably run around screaming my head off whenever Keefe is mentioned. Gigantic Keefe fangirl right here, people.

Replies:

Cloudjumper14: Thanks so much for the compliment! I really appreciate the review! It's super motivating-and I wish I could post like a billion chapters today. Unfortunately, I'll have to settle for one.

The Glitter Ninja: I know, all of my friends hate oatmeal raisin cookies too! How is that even possible? And can I just say, that prologue tore me into bits. Writing about Keefe is pretty much the most painful thing ever. I have no idea how Shannon Messenger is handling it right now. Also, your Lodestar fanfic was amazing! I just read all of it today, and the part about Keefe was so intense. The feels! If you ever decide to pick it back up, I'll be reading! Thanks for the great review!

Xylia Neo: Thanks! Your Neverseen fanfic is awesome, by the way. And in your last chapter, when Keefe kissed Sophie, I literally ran around dancing. Team Foster-Keefe will prevail!

Sassy di Angelo: Until you left that review I was almost positive that I was the only person in the world who liked raisins. Seriously, why don't people like them? Anyway, thanks so much for the comments and support. And yes! TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE FOR EVER AND EVER AND EVER!

Welp, here it is: Chapter Three! I personally think this is the best one yet-and I _swear_ it'll be the last short chapter.

 **Chapter Three**

BITTER, SHARP FRAGMENTS OF ICE BIT INTO SOPHIE'S MIND.

Broken memories flew at her like a blizzard, trees and rocks and animals, all distorted and mashed up into the ultimate horror scenes. Tiny, malicious shards of glass assaulted her consciousness and she struggled to gain her bearings. But the worst part was the brightness. Everything she looked at shone with a light fiercer than the sun, threatening to burn holes in her mind. It was a million times worse than last time.

Hopeless threatened to overwhelm her as she lost all awareness of direction, all sense of purpose. Everywhere she turned radiated a pure and scalding brightness. Twisted images tagged her consciousness and then raced away into the light, taunting her and leering with distorted grins. Malevolent laughter cut through her like a knife as she was shoved in a thousand different directions. She couldn't feel, couldn't think. All she could do was stumble around aimlessly.

A face with teal jewels for eyes materialized around Sophie. She knew what was coming-she had seen it before-but she could never be prepared. The vibrant jewels turned to her, light flashing off them and burning into her very essence.

"No reason to worry," it whispered. The sound was a soft breeze at first, then a freezing gale. Sophie tumbled back through Prentice's mind, but as the pale face dissipated she could swear she saw a dark colored symbol flickering in the light. Then it shattered into pieces, pelting Sophie with ice. The image was too fleeting for Sophie to get a good look at it but it seemed important, so she tucked the blurry picture away in her mind to examine later.

Her strength was fading-fast. So with her last bits of concentration Sophie gathered up her mental energy for a brain push, the rare skill that only a few elves were capable of. When she felt the tingling in the back of her mind, she thrust the mental energy out into the madness.

The scenes all around her shattered, and Sophie felt herself falling down, down into the piercing light. She searched desperately for a glimmer of warmth, anything to signify that Prentice was here, waiting for her, but she found nothing.

 _It's Sophie Foster,_ she transmitted, hoping her name would trigger some reaction. _Any_ reaction.

There was no response. Sophie was now hurtling downward through Prentice's broken mind at a sickening speed.

 _Where are you, Prentice? We all need you._ Images flowed from her into the empty space: Wylie, Tiergan, Della sitting beside Prentice's bed. Alden staring through the glass in Exile. The Collective opposing the Council to save their broken friend. Images of Sophie and her friends joined the mix, a whole cyclone of memories begging Prentice to come back to everyone who needed him. The swirling winds lifted Sophie up, and she raced through his mind, hope building up inside her. She held the emotion in for as long as she could, feeding it, letting it grow. Then she released it.

Soft, pleasant waves of light burst from Sophie's heart. They sped away in one direction, pulling her along. The brightness of Prentice's mind dimmed and suddenly, miraculously, she could see properly again. Which was a good thing, because a wall of pure darkness was approaching. Fast.

Somehow, she knew that to get to Prentice's remaining consciousness, she'd have to pass through the blackness first. So instead of slowing, she moved faster, spurring her mind on. She hit the wall sprinting.

Then everything went pitch black.

The waves of light extinguished, and the last wisps of warmth went cold as Sophie smashed through the barrier. She kept running, but something was wrong. It wasn't just dark, it was _suffocating._ All noises, all light was instantly smothered. The blackness pressed in like death. There was nothing and no one around her—just an endless oblivion.

 _I'm alive,_ Sophie transmitted, needing to hear it out loud. Willing it to be true. _I'm Sophie Foster, and I'm alive._

Moving was becoming harder and harder. The darkness solidified around her like a thick bubble of goo. It suffocated her and soon she was stuck. She tried to transmit to Prentice again, but the words were glued to her head. The more she struggled, the tighter the goo wrapped around her.

But maybe fighting was not the answer. Maybe the darkness was like the quicksand in exile. Maybe she just had to trust the trap.

She fought all her instincts and went limp, and the tug of the sludge loosened a little around her, but she still couldn't pull out of the bubble. Despair sunk into her consciousness, scattering her memories and splaying out her sense of self.

She couldn't remember who she was anymore. She was nothing, just a speck of dust waiting to be swept away by the darkness.

 _You_ are _somebody,_ a tiny voice inside her insisted. But she wasn't. She was helpless, meaningless. Slowly deteriorating into nothing. If the darkness hadn't been so complete, she was sure she would see particles of her consciousness flaking off her fading mind.

The last of her hope had almost vanished when a familiar, accented voice entered her head. And suddenly she knew: she was Sophie Foster. And she would _never_ be alone.

 _You didn't think you could get rid of me, did you?_ Fitz transmitted.

The blackness kept her from replying, but he seemed to get the idea. After all, he could read the joy threatening to burst from inside her.

He sent her a telepathic boost, and she mentally pushed the goo away from her with the extra power. Before it could close up around her again, she formed a shimmering barrier with her core energy, creating a small spot of safety. Fitz's consciousness materialized around her but then quickly blinked away.

 _I forgot how intense broken minds are._ His mental voice sounded strained.

 _Yeah. Why are you here? I thought your family was still grieving over Alvar._

 _We were, but all the sitting around was driving me crazy, so I decided to come visit you in Havenfield. And when I didn't find you there, Grady and Edaline told me about Prentice._

 _Well, I'm glad they did,_ she transmitted.

 _Uh-huh. I leave you alone for a day, and look what mess you get into!_

 _About that...do you think I should try a brain push?_

 _Couldn't hurt,_ Fitz reasoned, so Sophie released a brain push from the back of her mind. Too late, she realized her mistake.

The core energy making up her shield wouldn't mix with mental energy.

 _Get out, Fitz!_ Sophie transmitted as the two streams of warmth swirled around angrily. She felt Fitz leave her mind the same second that the space around her exploded.

Sophie was thrown forward like a ragdoll, out of the darkness. She wasn't sure if an elf's consciousness could die, but the searing pain definitely felt real. She was vaguely aware of a dim, warm space all around her, but couldn't move, couldn't look around. Couldn't do anything except soak up her pain, alone in a broken mind that seemed impossible to heal.

 _Sophie?_ someone transmitted. She didn't even have the strength to answer as the elf kept repeating her name.

 _Don't give up, Sophie!_ Black spots danced at the edge of her vision. She was tired, so tired.

 _Get up, Sophie! Get up, you've made it, Prentice is here!_

Prentice.

Prentice.

Why did that name sound so familiar? And it all came rushing back, Wylie staring at his father in the stone cottage, trying not to cry. Alden, needing Prentice to be healthy so he could finally be free of his guilt. Everyone who was depending on both of them, Prentice and Sophie, everyone who _needed_ them.

Sophie could feel a spark hovering near her. A small, feeble wisp of warmth. She rallied all her energy and fought the paralysis threatening to take her.

 _You can do it, Sophie!_ Fitz cheered—she now recognized his voice. He sent strength into her mind, wave after wave. It rippled through her, freeing her bit by bit. She got up slowly, painfully, and drew the spark closer to her shaking consciousness. It flared up, burning brighter as she held it close.

She began to feed it faces and memories, experiences and triumphs. She added hope and love to the mixture, while Fitz relayed bursts of strength, urging Sophie onward. With each boost she felt her mind grow stronger, more powerful. Images poured into the spark—it was now a flame that could fit in her palm—and it grew faster. It swelled up, filling the empty space of the nook around her.

But it needed one more reason to keep burning.

Sophie decided to take a risk. One that Magnate Leto would've killed her for taking.

One that could ruin everything.

She gathered up her courage. Was she really brave enough to attempt what she was going to do? And it turned out she was.

 _Prentice, your wife is dead. Wylie needs you._


	5. Chapter 4

**So, I was originally going to post a longer chapter, but I decided to break it up into two parts. I'll post the second one tomorrow, but after that I'm going on vacation until Sunday. So you guys are going to have to wait. Sorry. Also, Prentice's personality is a little flat, but that's because he just got healed and is probably kinda out of it. So bear with me, people.**

 **Word Count: 2,421 words**

 **Replies:**

 **The Glitter Ninja: Thanks, I was kind of worried my story was moving too fast. Honestly, Sophie and Fitz are probably the most easy characters for me to write for. Keefe I can manage, but I suffer when I have to write dialogue for Dex and Biana. I have no idea why. Also, Magnate Leto is super hard, since he talks differently depending on his current identity. He speaks a lot in this chapter, so I just kind of picked a voice and stuck with it.**

 **Cloudjumper14: Okay, Sophitz _is_ a cute ship...but Team Foster-Keefe is better. Honestly, I'd ship Fitz and Linh just to get Fitz out of the way. I hope you switch over from Sophitz, because Team Foster-Keefe needs all the support it can get! Oh, and Sophie's theory about Kenric, as of Neverseen, is that Kenric was her father. I personally think it's a bit far-fetched...but you'll see! Also, I saw the suggestion you gave me last chapter and I want to say that it's a really good idea. I might twist it around a little, but I'll definitely use it! Thanks for the idea!**

 **Okay, here it is: Chapter Four!**

NOTHING CHANGED IN PRENTICE'S MIND.

The fire Sophie had been oh-so-carefully tending to promptly vanished. Darkness threatened to seep into the nook, but she pushed it away telepathically.

Frustration and terror coursed down her whole being from head to toe as she started to shake. The darkness started to scratch against the nook's entrance even harder, and this time Sophie wasn't sure she had the energy to stop it.

Why had she told Prentice about Cyrah's death? She knew what grief did to elves...so why had that reckless impulse taken hold of her? Sophie's insides were tearing themselves apart. She had ruined everything the Black Swan had been working towards until now. It was over….

Sophie felt cracks start to form in the back of her mind. _No,_ her consciousness screamed. _No,_ _I have to stay strong!_ The darkness started to dim her mind.

Just before she slipped through into the immeasurable darkness, something clicked in Prentice's mind. There was a ripple of energy, and warm, blazing flames reignited all around her. The heat raced out into the thick sludge beyond, tearing it to pieces.

Prentice's mind started piecing itself together.

Sophie gasped and felt the cracks in her mind seal. Her consciousness shook, but she managed to steady her emotions. She was concerned about how easily her mind had threatened to break—if it _had_ been the start of a break—but now was not the time. Prentice was the priority. And although he seemed to be mentally healthy, she wasn't sure if he was mentally stable. Probably not.

With great difficulty, Sophie wrenched herself out of Prentice's mind.

"Sophie? Sophie, you okay?" Dex asked as Fitz squeezed her hand. For a moment her eyes fixated on their entwined fingers. She looked away quickly, but she must've blushed because Dex gave Fitz a resentful look.

"Fine," she managed, choking on the words. "Check on Prentice." She tried to move towards his sleeping form, but she fell to her knees before she could reach the bed.

The worst migraine she had ever had flared up in her mind, worse than the time she had cracked her head open as a five year old, and all she could do was bend over and cradle her head between her legs. She vaguely felt someone touch her shoulder and pull back with a sharp intake of breath. Voices blurred into one another and the world spun in rapid circles. A moment later a hand put a bitter serum to her mouth, and she tilted her head back and swallowed, letting oblivion take her.

Sophie's eyes snapped open. She was lying on a white hospital bed, in a familiar room. She sat up, which turned out to be a horrible idea. White spots danced at the edge of her vision, and dizziness shot through her body. She took a few deep breaths before she could turn to look at the wall the bed was pushed against.

Yep, there it was. The super embarrassing picture of Sophie in her ridiculous Level Three Opening Ceremonies costume. At least she was barely recognizable in her brown wooly fur and thick mastodon trunk.

At least the place wasn't dubbed the Foster Center like Keefe had wanted it to be called. She had almost forgotten about the picture until now, but still she added Keefe and Elwin to her list of Elves Sophie Foster Wants To Strangle—

She froze. Keefe wasn't here. He was with Brant, or his mom, or some other person that had tried to make Sophie's life miserable, probably working on what the Neverseen had called the _Lodestar Initiative._

He didn't belong with those people. Those _murderers._ They had taken Jolie, Alvar...they weren't going to take Keefe too.

Still, the determination surging through Sophie wasn't enough to cancel out the stabbing pain of Keefe's betrayal. It hurt a thousand times more than Alvar's deception.

And she was going to have to tell Fitz, Biana, and Dex soon, or they were going to get suspicious. Just the thought made her reel with nausea.

She was just going to have to cope. After all, that was what she was always doing.

There was a rustle of covers a few meters away. Sophie turned, startled. What she heard made her heart break into a million peices.

"Cyrah," Prentice whispered. He was sitting up in bed, looking horribly depressed but otherwise perfectly healthy. Sophie knew better. He was in pain—and his pain was just as bad as hers. Probably much worse.

"No," he mumbled. His eyes were lucid and filled with a deep sorrow that melted Sophie's insides.

She froze. Would Prentice blame her for his wife's death? But it didn't matter, because he didn't even seem to notice her.

Tears swam down Prentice's dark skin, paled a little by his time underground, but his face screwed up into a determined expression. "I need to see Wylie. I need to make this right."

She wondered who he was talking to. Maybe he was just speaking out loud for the sake of his hearing his own voice. Convincing himself he was really back.

He tried to get up, but he fell right back down. It had been more than a decade since he had walked, and his muscles must've deteriorated during that time. He looked so weak he could barely move.

Sophie didn't know what she had expected from Prentice, but it definitely wasn't this. He didn't seem at all interested in the girl he'd risked everything for.

She was saved by Tiergan. His eyes widened as he entered the Healing Center, and he rushed over, his intricate blue cape flying behind him, and threw his arms around Prentice.

"You're back," he said, almost to himself. "You're actually back." He laughed, not even bothering to act mature in front of Sophie. She had never seen Tiergan act this way before. He wasn't his usual logical, reassuring self-right now he was just an elf who was glad to have his old friend back.

Prentice looked startled. He sat up frozen in bed, arms hanging limply at his side. Whether he didn't want to return the gesture or he couldn't Sophie wasn't sure, but she could tell his mind was in another place.

Tiergan pulled away. "Are you alright?"

"I-I think so. It's all just so normal."

Sophie could sympathize with that statement. Even after being in a broken mind for just a few minutes, coming back to reality made everything seem so bright and ordinary. She could only imagine how Prentice must feel after being trapped in the madness for over a decade.

Finally, Prentice turned to Sophie. For a moment, his gaze was puzzled, but then his blue eyes lit upon her brown ones. His gasp echoed through the Healing Center. "Are you—?"

"Sophie Foster," Tiergan finished for him. "Project Moonlark."

What was going on? Why didn't Prentice recognize her? Then Sophie realized that Prentice would never have seen her before his mind was broken. That was why he hadn't given her a second glance when he first woke up. He had probably just thought she was a random prodigy. After all, they were at Foxfire Academy.

Which led to the question—why were they here?

"Let's not tire out the patient," Elwin chided. Sophie's head snapped around to see him enter the room, followed by Magnate Leto…and Wylie Endal. "We had to bring you two here so Wylie could visit without arising suspicion," he said as he spotted Sophie's lost expression.

For a moment, no one spoke. Wylie stared at his incapacitated father and Prentice's eyes fixated on his grown up son. Anger, fear, and hope flitted across Wylie's face as he stood in the doorway, unmoving. Sophie could almost imagine the three forces battling inside him, struggling to escape.

Sophie bit her lip as for a moment it looked like the anger might win—but the hope was the strongest.

Wylie crossed the distance to Prentice's bed with an impressive poker face plastered across his features. Prentice held his gaze as he approached—and while she had no proof, Sophie was sure he was transmitting to his son. But she didn't ask him what he'd said. After all, that was between him and Wylie.

Sophie felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as Wylie dropped his neutral expression and wrapped his arms around his father. For a long time, the two didn't move. Tears streamed down Prentice's eyes but for the first time since he'd woken up he was actually smiling. Wylie's eyes were dry—but she heard sniffling sounds coming from him as if he might somehow be crying invisible tears.

And for the first time in weeks, a warm feeling spread from her heart up to her head and down to the tip of her toes. She had ruined many lives in the past few years. But she could live with the knowledge that she had also fixed two.

After Elwin had ushered everybody out of the room except himself and Tiergan (Wylie needed to return to the silver tower to divert suspicion), Magnate Leto pulled Sophie aside to speak to her privately. He led her to Dame Alina's office—which shocked her for a moment until she remembered that _he_ was now the head of the school. Locking the door swiftly, he turned to face Sophie.

"Are you alright?"

The question threw her off guard. She had expected him to bombard her with questions about the healing the moment they were alone, so she was surprised at the concern in his voice.

"Fine," she mumbled, even though she was pretty sure she'd have nightmares for the rest of her life. She'd never forget the pitch-black oblivion in Prentice's mind—or even worse, the all-encompassing hopelessness that came with it.

"You're not fine, Sophie," Magnate Leto corrected. "You've been out for two days."

The room spun around her as the news sunk in. _Two days?_ That was forty-six hours gone, time she could've spent searching for Kenric's cache—or for Keefe. What day was it now? Monday? Burning tears threatened to escape her eyes, but she didn't want to cry in front of Magnate Leto, so she punched the wall instead. She didn't even realize she'd been channeling her frustration into energy until her fist cracked a foot-deep hole in the wall. Sophie gritted her teeth as pain shot through her knuckles.

There was a low sigh. She looked up to see Magnate Leto shake his head, muttering something that sounded a whole lot like, "You kids…."

"Why didn't you try to wake me?"

"We did. But your mind needed time to rest after the stress of the healing."

That did make sense. But….

"How come Prentice woke up at exactly the same time as me?"

"He didn't. The process of his mind piecing itself together was, admittedly, unusually slow. Almost like some force was trying to counter it. So we had to sedate him until he had enough time to fully heal. That's why we held off from asking him any questions earlier, since we weren't sure his mind was ready to relive the past."

An ominous feeling prickled at the back of Sophie's mind. She was sure the force Magnate Leto was describing had something to do with the strange, sludgy darkness she had almost suffocated in. It definitely hadn't been there last time she'd probed Prentice's mind. So when had his mind been altered?

She racked her brain and thought back to recent events, looking for anything significant. She double-checked and then triple-checked her memories, but each time two incidents stood out to her like a beacon—Tam's visit to the stone cottage, and the time the Council had spent with Prentice. She hadn't seen either event and was curious as to what had happened. But she couldn't exactly march up to the Council and search all their memories, so that left her with Tam.

She knew that he had done something to Prentice's mind—something Magnate Leto had referred to as "purging". Maybe it had gone wrong. Either way, she decided she'd talk to him as soon as she could.

"Sophie?" Magnate Leto's voice extinguished her train of thought like a bucket of icewater. She snapped back to reality. "I know you well enough to know that you're hiding something. Want to tell me what it is?" A smile played at the corner of his lips.

She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. "I _do_ know something," she admitted. "But I'm not hiding it."

She explained everything that had happened in Prentice's mind, trying not to cringe as the terrifying memories replayed themselves in her head. Magnate Leto seemed relaxed enough at her description of the piercing light. But once she got to the wall of darkness the crease between his brows furrowed deeper with every detail.

"Have you ever heard of this happening before?" she asked when she finished telling the story.

"Unfortunately, no." The words were believable enough, but there was an uncertainty in his eyes that made Sophie wonder if he wasn't telling her everything _._ "I'll have to ask the rest of the Collective tonight when we gather for…."

The sentence died in his mouth and he looked away from her, something Sophie had never seen him do before. Sophie glanced up at him suspiciously. She was sure that whatever reason the Collective had for meeting up for was definitely _not_ something she was going to like.

"You're not going to like it," he warned, echoing Sophie's thoughts. "But I know that if I don't tell you, you'll figure it out on your own."

"It can't be worse than anything I've already dealt with," she assured him.

His eyes radiated unspoken apologies as he said one of the few things she least wanted to hear.

"We've decided to let Lord Cassius join the Black Swan."


	6. Chapter 5

**Wow, so I'm really sorry about that wait. I was on spring break, then I kind of stopped writing for a few days, and before I knew it it became two weeks since I'd last updated.**

 **So sorry everyone. But here it is at last! Well, after replies.**

 **Replies:**

 **The Glitter Ninja: Thanks! I was worried the part with Prentice in it was too dull. And yeah, I'm a big fan of cliffhangers. But only when I'm the one writing, not reading. Reading cliffhangers is annoying sometimes, but that doesn't stop me from writing them! :)**

 **Swizzlespice: Thanks for the review! Glad you like the story so far! And let me just say, your username makes me want to try eating swizzlespice. Too bad Keeper isn't...*lowers voice into a whisper* real.**

 **Cloudjumper14: Haha, too bad! You're stuck with him until I get fed up with him and kill him off - which I might totally do. Now I've just gotta figure out how to write his dialogue... :/ Guess I haven't thought this through. Anyway, thanks for the review! (Hey, that rhymes!)**

 **But What If You Fly: Yes! TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE! If Shannon doesn't put Sophie and Keefe together, I'll die with you. It's not that I don't like Fitz...Keefe is just a thousand times better. And that's why my fanfic is totally going to be Foster-Keefe. I mean, there might be some Sophitz moments, but I can only suffer through so much. Thank you for the awesome review!**

 **But. My. KNOWLEDGE: Thanks so much! Stay tuned, 'cuz this ride is gonna get a whole lot better! *evil grin* (Oh, and sorry for the spaces in your username, it wouldn't let me put it all together for some reason.)**

 **And here it is! WHAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!**

 **Word count: 1,293**

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

 _"_ W _HAT?"_

The words rang off of the stark white walls, sounding harsh and out of place.

Magnate Leto sighed.

"Sophie, it's necessary for our organization. He could be useful—"

"No," she interrupted. "You don't understand what he's like. Keefe may have been wrong about joining the Neverseen, but he was right about one thing—you _can't_ let Lord Cassius join. He might not be as evil as Lady Gisela, but he's close."

"You don't think your friendship with Mr Sencen has left you a little...close minded?"

"How can you say that?" She started to shake with anger. Black fog crept over the edge of her vision as her control dangled by a string.

"Sophie! Calm down. I'm on your side," Magnate Leto ordered. She sank into the cushy armchair next to her as the rage faded. Clearly she didn't have as much control over her inflicting as she had thought.

"Sorry," she said in a small voice.

He passed a hand over his face, looking annoyed and stressed. "I fully understand your objections. In fact, the whole Collective shares them, but we need to put personal grudges aside. Lord Cassius may be intense, but his support could be crucial to our success. I would also like you to know that this is not a permanent development. If it doesn't work out, we can always reconsider."

Everything he was saying was logical. Still...why did it have to be Lord Cassius?

She took a deep breath. "Fine. But this doesn't mean I trust him." She turned to leave, but then was struck by another question. "What about Gethen?"

"I postponed our visit until you were awake," he answered, catching onto her meaning right away. "It can wait until tomorrow—I doubt it'll make much difference. And before you ask, we haven't made any headway on recovering the cache. In a few days we'll have to tell the Council. We can only lie to them for so long without running the risk of you and your friends getting banished again—or worse, exiled."

Sophie shivered. She never wanted to visit Exile again. Two trips to the bleak stone prison had already been way more than enough for a lifetime, and she was sure her friends felt the same way.

"When do I have to tell them about Keefe?" she whispered, dreading the answer. She wasn't sure if she'd meant the Council or her friends—but either way, it wasn't going to be fun.

"I'll take care of the Council," he told her. "But informing your friends is something you have to do yourself. They actually tried to visit you earlier while you were still unconscious, but I sent them back to their studies so you could have another day."

"Thanks," was all Sophie could manage. Horrible possibilities flashed through her head. Fitz shouting, breaking things, never trusting anyone again. Biana, frozen with grief. Cold fury brewing in Dex's periwinkle eyes. A snorted, "I told you so," from Tam, and silence from Linh.

Magnate Leto cleared his throat and snapped Sophie out of her brooding. "In any case, I suggest you get going. Study Hall will be ending soon, and trust me when I say you don't want to get caught waiting in line for the Leapmaster."

Sophie nodded and left the room, hoping she had imagined the epic sigh that followed her departure.

It wasn't until she was far from Magnate Leto's office that she realized she had forgotten to tell him about the mysterious symbol she'd seen in Prentice's mind.

 _It can't be that important,_ she reasoned. Still, she'd make sure to project it onto her memory log when she got home.

She made it to the dangling crystals of the Leapmaster just as bells chimed, signifying the end of school.

"Havenfield!" she shouted, stepping into the beam of light that appeared from the corresponding crystal. She imagined her concentration forming a protective bubble around her as the light whisked her away and left her standing in front of the huge mansion she called home.

"Sophie!" Edaline exclaimed, rushing over from the Verminion's pen. Sophie could swear the giant mutant hamsterzilla was glaring at her as Edaline wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Are you okay?" she asked, pulling away and holding Sophie at arm's length.

Sophie nodded, and Edaline bit her lip. "I'm sorry we weren't with you when you woke up. We were so worried about you. We tried to visit, but Magnate Leto didn't want us to disturb Prentice."

"It's okay," Sophie said. And she meant it. Edaline smiled and tucked a strand of Sophie's hair behind her ear.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mom." The words felt so natural. It was hard to believe that less than half a year had passed since Grady and Edaline had adopted her. "Where's Dad?"

"He's at Everglen with Alden, but he should be back soon. Do you want to go inside? I made Mallowmelt earlier."

Sophie's stomach growled, but she pushed away the thought of eating. "Maybe later. I think I'm going to take a shower first."

Edaline studied her, probably wondering whether she was planning some dangerous, illegal trip. And if she was, Sophie couldn't blame her—she couldn't deny her knack for trouble.

"Okay. And, Sophie? I just want you to know that I want to help in any way I can—even if it involves the Black Swan. _Especially_ if it involves the Black Swan. I've been thinking…." Edaline looked right into Sophie's eyes. "I want to join their group."

Sophie took a step back. "You do?"

"I do. After Della joined, I decided it was time to join the fight. I can't step back and watch the Neverseen hurt you anymore, Sophie. I've already talked to Mr. Forkle and he agreed."

Sophie couldn't decide if this was good news or bad. But what she did know was, "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Edaline promised. "And it may never happen. Now that the Council is back on our side, the rebels may not show themselves anymore."

They both knew that the Neverseen would never back down so easily, but it was easier to pretend otherwise.

The silence unfolded until it became uncomfortable.

"Okay," Sophie said finally, turning away. "Thank you for doing this for me." The words didn't seem strong enough and she hesitated a moment, wondering if there was something else she could say.

She couldn't think of anything.

So instead she entered the house and climbed the stairs to her bedroom, which took up the entire third floor. The first thing she did was take out the memory log stuffed among her bookshelf. Flipping to a blank page, she tried to recall the symbol back into her mind.

It was fuzzy—so fuzzy she could barely make out the outline.

But it looked like some kind of flower. And in the center was a tiny patch, the only part of the symbol that was clear. Or maybe it was just because it haunted her dreams every night.

It was an eye.

Sophie gasped and stumbled back a few steps, knocking over her memory log. But it didn't matter, because she'd seen enough. She still didn't know what the flower symbolized, but this meant something much more than she had thought.

It confirmed something Mr. Forkle had suspected for a long time.

It meant Prentice knew something important.


	7. Chapter 6

**Sorry guys (yet again). I guess I slacked off. *Huge sigh*. Well it's _another_ short chapter, 'cuz they just seem to end up that way, since I get to the point pretty quickly. This fanfic is moving a lot faster than I'd planned, but oh well. At least it's not boring this way! Also, *SPOILERS FOR THIS CHAPTER* Keefe's narrative voice is kinda dull, but he's not really Keefe anymore. He's like an empty shell of who he used to be *giant sob*. Wow, writing that sentence hurt so badly. Deep inside.**

 **Responses:**

 **Xylia Neo: Thanks 3. Sorry for the slow updates. I'm a pretty big procrastinator...so, well, writing a progressive fanfic isn't really the best thing for me to do. Whatever.**

 **Hi: Hi! Thanks for the review! Love your username! :D**

 **animaljam: No, _you're_ awesome!**

 **Silveny: Sooooorry. I guess I'm just evil. It's funny, I hate it when writers and fanfic authors do this to me. But it's really fun to do it to your readers!**

 **AND FINALLY! HERE IT IS: THE MAJESTICAL (AND LATE) CHAPTER SIX:**

 **Word Count: 1,198)**

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

T _HE WORLD SPUN AS SOPHIE FOUGHT TO BALANCE HERSELF._

Possibilities swam through her mind, each one crazier than the last, and she shook her head to clear them away—but one wouldn't leave. It was a far-fetched idea, but...what if Prentice knew something about the Lodestar Initiative?

Nobody seemed to know what it was—and the Neverseen had done an excellent job covering up all information on the subject. Plus, the only "Lodestar" she knew was the special mirror in the Silver Tower at Foxfire. Which was utterly useless besides the important lesson it was supposed to teach prodigies about themselves.

So far, all the Lodestar Initiative seemed to be was one huge secret.

Sophie was done with all the secrets. Her whole life had been secrets—secrets about the Black Swan, secrets about the Neverseen, secrets about herself. She had kept so many secrets, discovered so many secrets, fought for so many secrets. Laid her life on the line for a single secret countless times.

She wouldn't wait anymore.

If she was honest with herself, she was just desperate to find anything she could use to save Keefe. So even though she knew the possibility was slim to nothing, for the first time, she chose to believe. No more worrying, no more watching, just hope.

And before she investigated the symbol, well, she decided it was time to do what she'd be dreading.

It was time to contact Keefe.

"Show me Keefe," she whispered as she dug out her imparter. Her hands felt like lead as she fumbled with the thin silver square. She held her breath for five, ten, fifteen seconds.

Nobody picked up.

She had assumed he wouldn't have his imparter with him, anyway. It would be a stretch for the ultra-secretive Neverseen—if they even trusted him at all after he had left Sophie go.

She wasn't even sure if he was alive.

She pushed the horrible thought out of her head, considering her options. Then she remembered her spyball, but when she went to get it, it wasn't there. _Come on_. It had to be somewhere. Her clumsy hands worked from wall to wall as she combed every inch of the room from floor to ceiling.

It wasn't there.

Had the Neverseen come while she was gone? She didn't understand, but anger filled her anyway. Rage swirled around her mind in white hot spirals but there was nobody to inflict on and nothing to calm her down. She suppressed a frustrated yell and dropped onto the floor, gathering her courage.

There was only one option left. But it was going to hurt.

She didn't care. She wanted the pain. She needed to drive away the rage and fear and the feeling of the Neverseen watching her every move. So she pushed her consciousness as far as it could go.

Stretching.

Stretching.

Stretching.

And the pain. So much pain. Countless voices filled her head, elves and humans and animals and gnomes. There were too many to distinguish, too many to pay attention to. She fought to keep the scream bubbling from her lips back. She didn't want Edaline to check on her. So she kept fighting. Her mind ached and stung, but the one voice she needed didn't fill her mind.

Just as she was about to give up, the whisper of a sentence tickled her mind. She strained toward the sound, pushing with all her mind, wanting to reach it. _Needing_ to reach it. But it was too far.

Sophie stopped and felt the energy humming in the back of her mind, channeling the extra power. When she had reined in enough, she let it lose, imagining power spiraling out behind her, pushing her forward with its momentum.

The energy turned cold and propelled her straight downward into the earth.

She struggled and flailed as she plummeted through layers of ice, but it was too late to stop. She was falling falling falling, past more mental voices, harsher this time. Cold seeped in through her incapacitated mind.

 _I'm doing this for you._

The shock of hearing those words pulled Sophie out of her pain. She barely managed to stop before she rushed on past the heartbreakingly familiar voice. The dim connection felt like it could snap at any moment, and she pulled her muscles taut, trying not to move.

 _You promised. "I'm doing this for you." That's what you said._

Sophie almost gasped out loud as she realized Keefe was repeating what his mom had told him in a note nearly a month ago.

She steadied her breath for a moment before she could tentatively transmit even one word.

 _Keefe?_

Everything stopped. Time seemed frozen in place as his mind whirled and made quick calculations that flashed by too fast to decipher.

 _Sophie?_

 _Keefe! It's actually you—are you okay? Where did the Neverseen take you—_

 _I'm sorry,_ he answered, ignoring her rapid-fire questions.

 _Where_ are _you,_ she pressed.

 _I—I can't tell you. I can't—Sophie, I can't talk to you, it's—_

 _I understand. You're one of them now, right?_

Keefe's mind cringed.

 _Fine,_ Sophie transmitted. _At least tell me—did they forgive you?_

 _I—I don't know._

She couldn't help thinking that an "I don't know" was way scarier than a clear 'yes' or 'no'.

 _Sophie...if you still want to talk to me...tomorrow, meet me at the Room Where Chances Are Lost—_

 _WHAT?_

 _They're coming, Sophie, I have no time...Please consider it._

 _But how will I—_

"Sophie?" a different voice cut in, severing her mental connection.

"No!" she shouted as she sprang up, only to see Edaline.

Concern and fear filled her mother's face as she held out her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I—yes—no—I don't know!" Sophie trembled as she kicked her bed, sending pain flaring up her leg. Her head pulsed and throbbed and she could barely think at all as Edaline rushed over and wrapped her up in a hug.

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Not unless she could snap her fingers and magically fix everything. Sophie knew she was being pouty, but she felt she deserved it after everything she'd been through.

Sophie shook her head, and Edaline pulled away. "I'm sorry to tell you this, Sophie, but your friends are waiting downstairs for you. If you're not feeling up to talking, I could send them away—"

"No," Sophie interrupted. "I'll go see them."

She had promised she was done with secrets. But what she hadn't realized until now was that her vow went both ways. She couldn't keep secrets from her friends. Like it or not, they were all wrapped up in this mess together. They were a team—and a team couldn't function as one if they didn't trust each other. She _was_ worried about Fitz...far more than the others. But she just had to believe that he'd be able to cope.

After all, that seemed to be what they were always doing.

Sophie ignored the worried look in her mother's eyes as she crossed the room and started down the stairs. It was time to face the moment she'd been dreading.

No more hiding.


	8. Chapter 7

**Okay, so I think I finally have my update schedule figured out! It's the end of the year and I have a lot I want to do, so I'll update once a week on Mondays or Tuesdays. Probably Tuesdays. Once summer vacation starts it'll be more frequent.**

 **So, I finally wrote the scene I'd been dreading. All those character interactions *shakes with terror* they're fun but these aren't my characters and sometimes I don't know how they'd speak or act. This chapter has a lot of Dex in it, so I apologize if he's out of character. But yeah, I feel like this came out better than I expected. So...that's good. I don't know what else to say.**

 **Responses:**

 **Weird: Sorry for the infrequent updates. I wish I could quit school and write fanfic all day. But sadly I can't insert a billion frowning emoticons* thanks for the comment and stay tuned!**

 **Cloudjumper14: I hope. Plotting is scary and I still don't have everything figured out yet. Heck, I don't even have 1/10 of the story figured out yet. So...yeah. It's gonna be a crazy ride. Once again, thanks for the review!**

 **Xylia Neo: *hides from your evil laughter* Well, I hope I can exceed your expectations. Probably not! :P Good luck on examinations!**

 **Sorry if I missed anyone! I'm always confused about when people commented, if I already answered it, which chapter...I really need to work on that. Well, thanks for all the amazing reviews and enjoy! 3**

 **Word count: 2,099 (more than usual! We're getting there, guys!)**

 **Chapter Seven**

SOPHIE'S HANDS FIDGETED BEHIND HER BACK AS SHE LOOKED AWAY.

Despite her earlier resolution, she was having second thoughts about telling her friends about Keefe. But it was too late. They were staring at her now, brave expressions plastered to their faces, but their eyes were afraid. They knew she had nothing good to say. She just didn't think they realized how horrible the truth was.

"So…" Dex mumbled, tearing his gaze away. "Prentice is awake?"

Sophie nodded, wondering why she didn't feel more excited.

Nobody spoke for a minute. Then Fitz seemed to realize this conversation wasn't going to get anywhere.

"What's going on, Sophie?"

"And where's Keefe?" Biana piped up, looking around as if he might appear at any moment.

Fitz narrowed his eyes. "This has something to do with him, right? I tried to call him on my imparter but there was no response."

"And he wasn't there for the healing," Dex added.

Sophie swallowed hard. "He—" She closed her eyes, unable to say the words.

But maybe there was an easier way.

She summoned up the courage to think back to the day Keefe had betrayed her, playing the horror scene back from the part when Brant and Fintan had appeared. Then she reached out with her consciousness, about to transmit the memory into all of her friends' minds.

But she stopped right before she completed the action. There was a sense in the back of her mind, a feeling that there was an easier way to share the memory. Instinct guided her as she concentrated on the tingle in the back of her mind and imagined her energy snaking around the room, connecting all her friends through a thin golden chain.

She could hear their echoed gasps as she explored the glittering space in the center of their consciousnesses. There were no mental voices, and she knew somehow that she would hear only what they put in. They were all telepaths, all equally powerful in this space, this _link._

She shoved the memory into the space, ignoring the gasps of her friends. Her eyes were glued shut as if by an invisible force as it played through to the end, and when it finished she didn't open them.

There was absolute silence for a long long long time. Nobody spoke, and the golden glimmer of the telepathic link seemed to taunt them with its glittering brightness.

 _He wouldn't,_ Fitz finally transmitted. Sophie opened her eyes and saw a tear leak from his eyes—the first time she'd seen Fitz cry. Biana was frozen into a Biana-statue, too shocked to speak. Her beautiful teal eyes were frosted with ice, her dress seemed to hang off her suddenly frail frame, and her face was stuck into a permanent expression of shock. Dex was looking down. No noise, no expression.

 _I can't believe it either,_ he transmitted.

 _It's true._ Sophie wished she could say the opposite, but she had to be honest. No more secrets.

 _Yeah, but are we really just going to give up on him?_

Everyone stayed silent.

 _You know what we need to do, right?_ Dex pressed.

Biana whirred back into life.

 _Get him back,_ she and Sophie answered at the exact same time.

 _NO!_

Sophie, Biana, and even Dex winced at Fitz's angry tone.

 _He betrayed us! He is_ dead _to me!_

 _But—_

 _No "buts", Sophie. He knew what this would do to us. BUT HE DID IT ANYWAY!_

Sophie couldn't remember what happened next. All she knew was that she was curled up into a ball, shaking with sobs, and Fitz was gone. The golden chain evaporated into the air as their link was demolished. Sophie felt like a part of her had been destroyed as well.

"Sophie, Sophie!" Biana cried as Dex shook her. She was too far gone to respond.

How much more could she take before she shut down forever?

There was a stifled scream as footsteps entered the room. Suddenly a warm pair of arms was around her, gently pulling her up. Sophie recovered enough to open her eyes. She was looking up at Grady, and Edaline was right behind him, covering her mouth with her hands.

"I—I need to find my brother," Biana stammered and fled the room. Dex was the only who stayed. He held on to her hand as Grady cradled her, his expression flickering indecisively between brave and shocked as if he were considering what was better for her to see.

A warm feeling rose up inside Sophie's heart, melting the ice threatening to envelope her as she reached for Dex's hand. She almost smiled as his face went bright red.

She still had someone to hold on to _._ And she was never going to let anyone take him away.

"I need to go after Fitz," Sophie murmured, her voice stifled by Grady's sleeves.

"You're not getting away from us," Grady promised as he pulled her closer. "And I think you owe us an explanation." Edaline nodded, reaching for Sophie's free arm.

"I told—" Sophie dried her tears on her sleeve. "I told everyone what happened."

"And?" Grady prompted.

Sophie stayed silent. She _never_ wanted to revisit Fitz's anger, the way his eyes had flickered and burned with fury.

"Fitz was angry," Dex explained for her. His voice was uncharacteristically silent and burdened with the weight of betrayal. "He left...and Sophie fell. It—it was super scary. The golden telepathic chain thing broke, and I felt like a part of me snapped."

"Golden telepathic chain?" Grady questioned, but Edaline cut him off.

"I think Sophie's had a long day," she said. "Dex, I think you should go home to your parents and explain everything to them—"

"No," Sophie said. Everyone turned to her. "I need to talk to Dex. Alone."

"Are you sure—" Edaline started. Grady placed a hand lightly on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Eda," he said gently. "We trust Sophie."

"Yes. That's right," Edaline whispered as he led her away.

Sophie took a deep breath. "Let's go upstairs." She took a step and her knees wobbled violently. She would've fallen if Dex hadn't reached out an arm and steadied her. "I'm okay," she assured him when he didn't let go.

"I don't think any of us are okay," he said, pulling her up to her room.

"About…Keefe," Sophie mumbled. "Do you really believe we should save him?"

Dex looked at her like she was crazy. "Uh, of course. Since when have you given up on someone you care about?"

"Never."

"There you go. Don't stop now, because that's what we all like about you. You never give up. So what's your plan, because I definitely want to be a part of it."

"Thank you," Sophie said with a small smile. All the sudden she was crying, and she couldn't get the tears under control no matter how furiously she dabbed them away. Dex sat down on her bed next to her, and she had no way to measure the time the two of them sat there, alone, in the middle of a rebellion that never seemed to let up.

Before this, nothing had felt _real._ Yes, Sophie had been stabbed with a huge medical syringe, drifted in a drugged delirium for weeks, clung to Fitz in a nightmare of melting jewels…but….

None of that had ever felt like a part of something bigger. Something _out of her control._ She'd been so wrapped up in her purpose as Project Moonlark that she'd been nearly oblivious to the sacrifices others made around her. She couldn't fix anything alone. Not without her friends. The Collective. Her parents, Prentice, Elwin, even Timkin Heks. Faces swirled around her mind until she felt as if she were caught in a hurricane of elves and goblins and gnomes and dwarves and humans and everyone else who'd helped her along the way.

There could be no change without teamwork. And there would never be change without _sacrifice._ And every sacrifice had a _purpose._

So what was Keefe's purpose? She had assumed it was his mother—but maybe it went deeper than that. To his very roots.

"I spoke to Keefe." The words were deafening in the near silence, but it still took Dex a few moments to respond.

"How? When?"

"I transmitted to him. It was painful, and I'm not sure I could do it again. But he said—he said that if I wanted to talk to him in person I should meet him tomorrow." Sophie gulped. "At the Room Where Chances Are Lost."

"WHAT?" Dex said.

Sophie nodded. "That's what I said. But he told me they were coming. And then Edaline broke the connection."

Dex was silent for a long time, and Sophie thought he was going to tell her that the idea was crazy and that they should just give up on Keefe. But he surprised her.

"How are we going to get there?"

"We're not," Sophie answered.

"Uh, yes we are. So will the Black Swan give us a magsidian pathfinder, or do we have to take one?"

Sophie stared at Dex. "You're serious?"

He shrugged. "I don't any better ideas. Ideas were Keefe's thing."

"Yeah. But...do you think it's a good idea to let Magnate Leto know?"

"Okay, first of all, I still think it's super weird that Mr. Forkle is Magnate Leto. And second, I think we should tell him. He could help."

"I guess, but…."

"But what?"

"I know he still believes in Keefe and everything, but don't you think he may be a little suspicious? I mean, what if the Neverseen told Keefe to lure me in so they could set up an ambush? He might not want us to go."

"But that's just another reason he should know. He's way more experienced than us."

What Dex was saying made sense. There was another problem, though.

"How do I contact him?"

"Can't you just use your imparter?"

"Maybe. But what if he's Mr. Forkle, and he's not carrying his imparter? Or Sir Astin—or anyone else we don't know about?"

"Then we try all of them."

Sophie pulled out her imparter and held it up to eye-level. Fully expecting not to get an answer, she said loud and clear, "Show me Sir Astin."

There was no answer.

"Okay—show me Magnate Leto."

Sophie and Dex stared impatiently at the screen for a few seconds, waiting for someone—or no one—to pick up. She was pretty sure they were thinking the same thing. _Come on, come on!_

"Sophie? And Dex?" a low voice rang out. Dex grinned, flashing his perfect dimples.

"Surprised to see me?"

"Actually, yes," Magnate Leto admitted. His eyes flickering to his surroundings for a moment before he redirected the imparter, moving it so that Sophie and Dex couldn't see the space behind him. But not before Sophie could catch a glimpse.

He was standing in a building with white walls—and behind him was a mirror. A mirror with a piercing, tugging light. Even though her mind was no longer infiltrated by light, she could imagine the fiery pull that used to accompany the relentless headaches.

Only one mirror made her mind feel like that. It was the Lodestar.

"Why are you in front of that mirror?" Sophie asked suspiciously. Magnate Leto sighed.

"Anything called a Lodestar could give insight about the Neverseen's plans," he said simply. "So why did you two call me?"

"We need to get into Exile," Dex said before Sophie could further question Magnate Leto.

"Why? Did you learn something?"

"I contacted Keefe," Sophie admitted. She explained the whole thing, including what Keefe had been repeating in his mind.

 _No more secrets._

"Normally, I'd say it was too dangerous," Magnate Leto said carefully when she was done. "But since we are so desperately in need of information—both about the Neverseen and the cache—I think our policies need to be changed."

"Really?" Dex asked exactly as Sophie said, "How do we get there?"

"We have no magsidian," Magnate Leto said, tapping his chin. "So it's going to be complicated."

Sophie definitely didn't like how that sounded. And she had vowed to herself never to set foot in Exile again.

But Keefe was more important. And so was Fitz. So if she could learn more about the Lodestar Initiative, she could maybe justify Keefe's actions—and get Fitz back too.

"Meet me at my office first thing tomorrow," Magnate Leto instructed and blinked away.

 _Tomorrow._ The world resounded in her head, bright and filled with hope.


	9. Chapter 8

**Okay, so here's a kinda-late-night update. I'm happy I actually stood by my word and uploaded a new chapter on Tuesday, even if it's later than expected. There's not too much action in this one, in fact it's kind of another Magnate Leto Q &A, but whatever. Next chapter will definitely have some interesting content! *evil grin***

 **Replies:**

 **ButWhatIfYouFly: :) Thanks so much for the multiple reviews, and also that font (is it a font?!) looks really cool. Sorry, kinda random. Anyway, here you go, a new chapter! Stay tuned and thank you for commenting!**

 **Revel Temptation: Don't worry! I'm not that person who ignores all the comments they get. Honestly, I'd even appreciate negative comments. At least it means someone is reading. And then occasionally, there are reviews like yours, which make me feel like dancing all over the house. Thank you for taking the time to review my fanfic! I'm glad you're enjoying it! And yeah, I _am_ a huge shipper of Team Foster-Keefe, but Sophitz is totally cool with me too. I don't care if you think I'm being weird (cause I probably am) but even Sodex (is that what you call it?) is growing on me. Honestly, this fanfic probably will have a little of all the ships, mostly Team Foster-Keefe, but I'm going to try to avoid any serious romantic relationships. I think Sophie is too awkward for that as a fourteen/thirteen-year-old. But...yeah. Thanks again for the amazing review, and sorry for the absence of any Sophitz moments so far. Trust me, there will be some! :D**

 **Word Count: 2,233**

 **Whew! *Deep breath* Well, here it is!**

 **Chapter Eight**

"WAIT, SO YOU WANT TO GO TO EXILE?"

Sophie nodded, rubbing her sore eyes from another sleepless night. Grady and Edaline stood in front of her with their arms crossed, and she really wished they'd step aside and let her leap to Foxfire. But they'd cornered her about her plans, and she'd kept true to her promise to herself.

 _No more secrets._

"Sophie, we've been very trusting parents so far, but Exile isn't exactly a friendly place," Grady told her.

"I know," she agreed. "I don't want to go there either. But…" she hesitated. "I'm meeting somebody."

Grady opened his mouth to ask who when Edaline interrupted. "Keefe," she answered for Sophie.

Sophie nodded, wishing she could shrink as Grady's piercing eyes glowered down at her.

"I don't trust that Sencen boy," he argued.

"You let him ride across the ocean on Silveny with me," Sophie reminded him.

"Yes, I did. And I shouldn't have. But that was before he joined _them_."

"He's not evil, dad! He could've let Brant and Fintan capture me, but he created a leaping crystal on my necklace _in advance._ He never meant to hurt me."

"But he has," Grady whispered, dropping his voice. "In so many ways."

"I still need to get him back. Dex said so too."

"Yes, Dex is going with you, right? I'm not too sure his parents will appreciate that."

Sophie looked down, feeling guilty that she was dragging one of her friends into danger once again.

"Grady, I think Sophie should go," Edaline butted in.

"You want me to let my daughter go marching into what's likely to be an ambush?" Grady laughed coldly. "Last daughter, it didn't go so well."

Edaline's eyes widened in dismay and she turned away. "That's why we need to help Sophie save Keefe. So she doesn't have to feel the pain of losing someone important."

A wave of guilt swept over Grady's face, and his angry facade crumbled. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to upset either of you. I just care about you, Sophie. I don't want to regret this later."

"You won't," Sophie promised, pulling him in for a hug. She soaked up the warmth of his arms, wishing she'd never have to let go. When she spoke again she was surprised to realize that her voice was choked up with sadness. "I'll be okay. I always am."

He nodded and pulled away, stepping aside. Sophie took a deep breath before whispering, "Foxfire."

The quiet words somehow managed to reach the LeapMaster and a small crystal dropped down, hurting her tired eyes with its sparkling facet.

 _I can do this,_ she repeated over and over in her head, willing to make the words true. _I am strong._

But how long could she really pretend for? The rush of warm light pulled her away as the first tear slid down her cheek.

"I'm not the only one who's nervous, right?" Dex asked, fidgeting with a few scraps of metal as Sophie wiped away the last traces of her tears.

She shook her head. "I barely convinced my parents to let me go."

"Me too," Dex agreed. "I thought it would be so much harder. But I guess they've accepted that they can't keep me out of this thing anymore...this _rebellion_." He said the word so softly Sophie could barely hear it in the silent hall.

The stood quietly for a few seconds. Then Dex reached for the polished handle and opened the door to Magnate Leto's office. The office was at the very apex of the glass pyramid, and many Sophies gazed forlornly back at her through the mirrors set in the walls. She hadn't realized her expression looked so sad, and she tried to loosen up her muscles, but they felt like someone was holding them in place.

"Sit down, we have a lot to talk about," Magnate Leto greeted, pulling up two comfy chairs. "First, how you're going to get into Exile," he continued, straight to the point, when neither of them said anything. "The Council has collapsed all gnomish tunnels in the surrounding area, so we'll have to use different methods. And we can't fight the dwarves guarding Exile, because we don't want to lose the little trust the Council has finally given us. So our only option is to break in through the ground above undetected—although without Magsidian staying concealed will be extremely difficult."

"Break in through the ground above?" Sophie echoed.

Magnate Leto nodded. "I have a theory...I think you might be able to teleport through solid objects."

"What?" Sophie asked at the same time Magnate Leto had to ruin her hope by adding, "But it's only a theory."

"So what is it?"

"I think If you send your consciousness downwards and gain enough solidity to ground yourself in the desired location...you might be able to transport your physical form."

"And Dex's?" Sophie prompted.

"I'm not sure. I haven't worked out the kinks yet. As I said—multiple times—it's just a theory."

"Can I say something?" Dex asked as Sophie opened her mouth to speak. He didn't wait for an answer before he continued, "I'm not getting left behind. I'm sick of being left out of things. You're always plotting stuff with Wonderboy—Fitz," he corrected, making Sophie grin. She was glad he was finally trying to set his old grudges aside. "And before that, you risked your life, like, a million times with...Keefe… um… so it's my turn now. And if you can't make this teleportation thing work with both of us, I'll do whatever it takes to be there with you. You can't face the Neverseen alone if this is an ambush. And I'm not even sure you can face Keefe alone… so… yeah," he finished awkwardly.

Magnate Leto smiled at Dex. "You are incredibly loyal. And luckily there might be another way—if the first doesn't work. Ever heard of a terrakinetic?"

Sophie shook her head as Dex's eyes brightened.

"They're super rare, aren't they?" he said.

"Yes. Almost as rare as pyrokinetics."

The word sent a tremble down her spine. She could almost feel the blazing heat of Everblaze scorching her back.

"A terrakinetic manipulates the earth, much like how a hydrokinetic controls water," Magnate Leto explained. As it so happens, we are lucky enough to have a terrakinetic working in the Black Swan. Her name is Kesia, and she is exceptionally talented."

Sophie really didn't like the idea of someone she didn't know listening in on her meeting with Keefe—especially if she had to drop to her knees and beg him to turn back. But she also didn't want to leave Dex behind.

"Okay," she agreed. "So when are we going?"

"I need to contact Kesia first—and I'm not coming with you. I have prodigies to attend to, and I don't want to get between you and your friends. I trust you, Sophie," Magnate Leto said. "But, before that, there's something I want to tell you." His expression turned somber. "Gethen is gone."

"No way!" Dex and Sophie both shouted at the same time.

"Shhhh! It's true. I went to check on him and he was not there. And the entrance to where the Council was keeping him was blasted through—a perfect hole. That wall was made of allulite—an almost impenetrable dwarven mineral—and reinforced with a psionipath's force field. That blast would've had to be extremely concentrated and ten times more destructive than everblaze. When I told the Council… well, let's just say they were _not_ thrilled at the discovery of this new threat."

Sophie resisted the urge to smash her fist through a mirror. Every time they seemed to be catching up with the Neverseen the unpredictable group came up with another way to ruin her life. So instead she settled for asking, "More destructive than everblaze?"

"Yeah—is that even possible?," Dex chimed in.

"Apparently." Magnate Leto buried his face in his hands, and when he looked up he suddenly seemed a thousand years older.

Another thought flew into Sophie's mind. "My spyball disappeared yesterday. I searched the whole room. it's definitely gone."

"I took it," he admitted. "I thought it would be a bit too dangerous for you to know your friend's location. I was afraid you'd go rushing into danger."

Sophie was too worn out to feel any anger. "I already know he's somewhere underground."

"Really? Our sources all point toward the Neutral Territories—aboveground."

"Maybe they have more than one base."

"It's possible," Magnate Leto said and tapped his chin thoughtfully, looking young again. "But…"

"But what?"

He shook his head, almost as if shooing away a pesky thought. "It's nothing. You should leave soon. I'll contact our terrakinetic, she'll meet you at Alluveterre." He handed Sophie a black crystal with a purple gleam. "And remember, Sophie. Don't forget about the cache. If those secrets get into the wrong hands, the entire balance of our world could tip."

Sophie nodded and moved to open the door, but then yet another question struck her.

"There's something else I want to talk to you about before we leave," she said. She snuck a peak at Dex, looking away when he met her eyes. She was sure he know what she was going to ask.

"Yes?" Magnate Leto inquired.

"When I told my friends about Keefe I meant to transmit the memory into their minds. But for some reason I felt like I needed to use my mental energy—the energy I use for a brain push—and I created this golden chain through all of our minds where we could all communicate."

Alarm and something else rose up in his eyes. Was it respect? Before Sophie could play the guessing game he opened his mouth to speak. "You and your friends are far closer than I'd realized. _Far_ more powerful."

"What do you mean?" Sophie asked, fear rooting in her mind.

"An Amity Link is not something just anyone can create."

Sophie sighed, wondering how many more times she was going to hear those words.

"You can only perform one with someone you're close to. Not just any friend—someone you'd trust with your life. Most telepaths, even if they're capable of using mental energy, never find anyone they can perform the Link with. The fact that you're only fourteen and already have _three_ —maybe four—friends that close… it's unheard of."

Sophie sighed again. Magnate Leto rolled his eyes.

"When the Amity Link turns silver—which means you're completely open to your friends and are keeping _no_ secrets—there's a theory that you can all access each other's powers and knowledge—and all suffer the same injuries as a consequence."

"That's super confusing," Dex complained, rubbing his temples. Sophie had to agree. Her brain was still struggling to comprehend the truckload of information.

"You should go," Magnate Leto repeated, ushering them out of the room. "Leap straight to Alluveterre."

When Sophie didn't move, Dex took her hand and pulled her out of the room.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I don't know why it's so overwhelming. I mean, I already know I trust you guys with my life."

He nodded. "Can I see that crystal?" Sophie handed it to him, and his eyes lit up as his fingers traced the edges of the sparkling facet.

"It's not exactly a gadget, but… I've been wondering if I can build a device to catch light like a leaping crystal. I know it's kind of silly, but—"

"Actually, I think that's a great idea," Sophie corrected. "We can visit all the places Magnate Leto doesn't want us to go to."

Dex grinned, flashing his perfect dimples. "Yeah. Most of them are underground, though, so I thought I'd look at this. It's weird. See, these purple flecks aren't natural. They're a whole different kind of mineral." He bent down and reached into a pocket around his ankles and fished out a small pouch. Then he took the scraps of metal he'd been fidgeting with earlier—they were now fashioned into a single shape like a crescent moon. He poked at one of the purple stones embedded in the crystal until a few chips came off, and tucked them into the pouch, returning it to his ankle pocket.

"I hope I didn't ruin the crystal," he said when Sophie stared.

"Let's see." She took it from him and held it up to the light filtering down through the glass walls of Foxfire, hoping a path would appear. And it did. The light was white with dancing pink spots, and as Sophie and Dex stepping into the rushing warmth, she prayed the next time she used this crystal she'd be returning with Keefe.


	10. Chapter 9

**So...late by a day, I guess. Welp, I officially suck at self-created deadlines. Big procrastinator right here, guys. I give myself a week then end up writing the bulk of the chapter on the last day :(**

 **Chapter 9 is especially important to me, because it features the first character created by me in this fanfic! Whoo! She is my small child, guys - who is maybe going to dye. Who knows. I have some _interesting_ plans for this story! *maniacal laugh***

 **Also, tell me in the comments if you want me to start posting a question of the week. I feel like that would be interesting, but I don't want to do it if nobody will respond. So, yeah. There's that. And...I don't have anything else to say. So here we go:**

 **Replies:**

 **Xylia Neo: YES! SORA! Oh my god, I love your story. AND SORA! And I don't blame you for being a fangirl of your own story. I'm sure I'll be once this really gets rollin'. I love terrakinesis, though, and I figured since we have Linh and Squall and numerous pyrokinetics (I'm sure we haven't even met them all, lol), we need a terrakinetic! Sorry I haven't reviewed your fanfic yet, I've been kinda short on time...but I swear I'll do it soon! I can't believe how long it is, too! Like, it's longer than most published fantasy books for this age group! Thanks for the comment! 3**

 **copicrazeunwoltxnaa: Wow, your usename is a mouthful! So, Linh and Tam will come in soon. There's a part in this chapter where I make you guys think they're gonna appear, but then disappoint you all with my laziness! Yeah, sorry about that. Linh will have a bigger part, and Tam will _definitely_ come into play. *spoilers* Shades are gonna be super important to the plot. But you're going to have to wait a little longer. Glad you like my story and thanks for the review!**

 **Revel Temptation: *screams and runs around house with you* I DON'T KNOW! Everything kinda just comes spilling out of my overflowing brain and onto the page and sometimes it's not that great but I do the best I can and aaaaahhhh! Also, for me there is _never_ enough fangirling. Emphasis on "never." I personally ship Team Foster-Keefe, buuuuut Sophex _has_ been growing on me recently. And Sophitz is always really cute. But you'll have to wait and see who she ends up with, because I'm not making any guarantees! Thank you for being an amazing reader! 3**

 **Okaaaay, here we are. Nothing _really_ exciting happens this chapter (so many empty promises, sorry), but next time I promise - no, I SWEAR there will be action! And I GUARANTEE chapter 10 will be more than 3,000 words!**

 **Word Count: 2,051**

 **Chapter Nine**

ALLUVETERRE LOOKED JUST THE SAME AS IT HAD A FEW DAYS BEFORE.

Except this time, Sophie wasn't hiding away from the Council's watchful eyes. Now that the immediate danger had passed, the forested underground cavern teeming with life looked bright and beautiful and not at all foreboding.

She tucked the black leaping crystal into the bag she'd brought with water, custard bursts and her imparter, and turned to face Dex.

"Should we just wait?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I guess. We could sit down where we used to eat meals. Hey, do you think Linh and Tam are here?"

"Maybe. Let's go see." They walked over to the east treehouse, where Sophie and Biana had stayed, but when the ascended the stairs and knocked nobody answered the door. When the same happened with the west treehouse, Sophie led Dex over to the picnic tables in the center, and they sat down to wait and snack on Edaline's famous custard bursts.

"Is it wrong for me to miss this place?" Dex mumbled with a mouth full of the gooey treats.

"You miss Exillium? And everyone keeping secrets from us?" Sophie asked.

"No, but I miss all of us being here together. Plus, the Lost Cities have changed. Everyone is always so nervous now. And I can't walk in a crowd without wondering who's on our side and who's with the Neverseen."

Sophie agreed. After so many betrayals, it was hard to know who to trust.

The minutes passed by, enough that Sophie started to wonder if the Black Swan's terrakinetic was ever going to come. Then there was a miniature avalanche of pebbles and dust as a spot on the cavern ceiling above them crumpled and twisted away so a short, dark-haired elf could leap through. She stopped her fall with levitation right before she touched down, and when she threw back her hood Sophie couldn't help staring at her striking egyptian blue eyes.

"Well?" the elf said after a moment of silence, tugging on her green, neck-high shirt which was partially covered by an dark brown jacket. She looked maybe eighteen, but she could've been older—it was hard to tell with elves. "I hate these things. They don't give you any room to breathe. Anyway, I'm Kesia—Black Swan operative, blah blah blah. You must be the Moonlark—and, Dex? Deck?"

"It's always Deck," Dex mumbled and Sophie resisted the urge to grin. Kesia reached over, her shoulder length, cleopatra-styled hair rustling behind her, and shook Sophie's pale hand with her own warm brown one.

"Normally I do away with formal greetings and such," she said distastefully. "But, y'know, leading the Moonlark on a top secret mission doesn't really count as 'normal.'"

"Um, can I just be 'Sophie'?" Sophie asked.

"Whatever you want." Kesia shrugged. "We're going to leap now, so you guys should concentrate."

Dex was still muttering about "Deck" as Kesia pulled out a magenta-colored leaping crystal, so Sophie grabbed onto his arm and wrapped a portion of her concentration around him like a shield.

"Don't let the pretty color fool you," Kesia warned. "Austeria—that's where Exile is—has the harshest conditions in the world. You pretty much never want to go there. Only below the surface is habitable, yet half the dwarves live there. They're pretty amazing, right? Orion—" she broke off, her expression becoming unbearably sad. "A friend went there once as the ogreish ambassador to the dwarves. She was an elf...but she always had a way of instilling peace…" There was a moment of silence as Kesia cleared her throat and tried on another smile. "Okay, enough useless rambling."

She held up the crystal to her eye level and grimaced. "Buckle in, everyone, 'cause without magsidian this is _not_ going to be a comfortable ride."

Before Sophie could ask who Orion was—or what she should brace for—Kesia raised her hand to the ceiling and closed up the opening in the cavern, catching the last ray of light on the leaping crystal and pulling them into the glittering path just before it dwindled out of existence.

The magenta light rushed them away, and for one blissful moment Sophie thought nothing bad was going to happen. Then harsh granules of sand hit the flow of light, scratching and poking at Sophie, whittling away at her essence. The dashes of sand turned into a downpour, and she felt she was going to suffocate under the countless layers of pain. Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, the light made one final turn downward and sunk into the ground, abandoning the re-solidified elves.

Sophie tried to scream, but the tons of sand buried on top of her crushed all the air in her lungs. There was nothing but darkness and the distant howl of wind. The pressure bore down upon her until she felt she was going to turn into one large, buried Sophie-pancake.

Suddenly, the weight was lifted and hot, dry air hit her mouth right when she didn't think she could hold her breath any longer. She gulped it down, calming her pounding heart.

"Sorry about that," Kesia apologized. Sophie craned her neck up to see out of the ten-foot-deep sandpit she was lying in, and spotted the terrakinetic perched on a pile of sand, looking perfectly unharmed. "Um, Infiltrators can be sort of unpredictable."

She flicked her wrist, and the sand below Sophie swelled, pushing her up up up towards the sky. WIth a flick of her pinkie, Kesie swept all the excess sand off Sophie's clothes. Next to Kesia, Dex was hunched over, spitting out sand from his mouth.

"Ugh," he complained. "Tell me what an Infiltrator is so I don't have to use it, like, ever again."

Kesia grinned. "It's a mechanical leaping device," she explained, handing the magenta "crystal" to Dex. "Bet you thought it was a crystal. But nope, it's a gadget, except for its eudialyte chip in the center. Our most talented technopath made it—but I'll tell you about them another time." There was a mischievous glint in her eyes that made Sophie wonder who all these mystery elves were—and what they had to do with her.

"What does the eudialyte do?" Dex asked, his curiosity apparent.

"It's one of the only substances able to navigate through different currents and types of light. But because of that, it's unpredictable, can only be used a few times, and doesn't always get you where you're going. For example, we're about a mile off from where we want to be right now."

Sophie and Dex both groaned.

"Aw, don't look so miserable," she said. "I can speed up the process. You ready?"

"No," Sophie was about to say, just as Kesia held her arms out in front of her and the sand zoomed forward. Sophie screamed and flailed as the desert roller coaster sped and twisted away, wild and very much out of her control. Kesia just laughed, steering the flow with her arms as if driving an invisible car. Then she pointed her fingers downward and Sophie braced for the worst.

Her stomach dropped with the horrible sensation of free-falling as the sand below them gave way to oblivion. She tried to gather enough core energy to levitate, but the scrape of rushing sand bit into her concentration and made it impossible to rally.

Suddenly the floor solidified underneath her enough to get her bearings, and Kesia pounded on her and Dex's backs as they coughed up what felt like enough sand to fill a beach.

"So much better than light leaping," Kesia said and stretched her arms, laughing when Sophie and Dex flinched. "Oh, come on, you've gotta admit it's fun."

"Nuh-uh," Dex said as Sophie shook her head so hard it hurt.

"I guess only a terrakinetic can appreciate the power of the earth," Kesia said dismissively and shrugged. Sophie remember Fintan saying almost exactly the same thing a few months ago when she'd been forced to help Alden break his mind. It was eerie and Sophie wondered if pyrokinesis was really _that_ different from the other elemental abilities.

"So, this is where things get complicated." Kesia's expression turned deadly serious for the first time, and Sophie had a feeling she wasn't going to like the plan.

"What do you mean?" Dex asked, echoing her thoughts.

"Dwarves are able to sense living things in the barren areas they inhabit. So the moment we break into Exile, they'll know we're here. Which we _don't_ want, to be clear. So we have to be...creative."

"If it's so hard, how is Keefe sneaking in?" Sophie asked.

"Good question, _Sophie._ " Kesia smiled and flashed a thumbs up. "Actually, that's Plan A. Plan B isn't so pleasant. So...ugh, I think I have it somewhere in here…" She plopped down into the sand and leaned against the stone sides of the tunnel. Sophie waited, growing impatient as Kesia casually checked all the pockets in her brown cargo jacket before finally pulling out what looked like a black imparter.

"A Penetrator!" Dex said, taking the object without Kesia's permission. "I've always wanted one of these!" He held it against the stone wall, grinning when the screen whirred to life, showing a three dimensional, full-color x-ray of the solid rock beyond.

Sophie wondered if every piece of elvin technology was named after what it did. It did kind of make sense, though. And she _definitely_ did not want Dex getting his hands on an x-ray machine.

"Yep. But see that line where the picture cuts off? Exile has an impenetrable barrier around it—designed for both sight _and_ sound. So now comes the fun part." She crossed her arms and stared up expectantly at Dex.

"What?" he said, then was silent for a moment. "Oh. Um, so you want me to rewire this Penetrator to see through something that's not supposed to be see-through?"

"That's the idea, yeah," Kesia agreed.

"What happens if he can't? I can always try, um, Mr. Forkle's theory," Sophie offered—reluctantly. Not that she doubted Dex. He'd done some pretty amazing things with his ability as a Technopath.

"Don't worry, I _can_ ," Dex interrupted. "The barrier blocks out sound and sight—so that just means I have to make this use _touch._ But, I, uh, don't know how to do it."

Sophie groaned as he opened some sort of compartment in the Penetrator and fiddled with the wires. After about a moment, he snapped his fingers and looked up at her.

"Phasing!"

"What?" Sophie asked as Kesia smiled.

"Wow, you're better than I thought. Sir Kerlof was right—you _do_ have an interesting way of approaching challenges."

It took Sophie a moment to realize _Sir Kerlof_ was Magnate Leto, long enough for Dex to ask: "Are you a technopath?"

"Nope. But I've spent a lot of time around some, so I know more than most people."

Dex made one last arrangement to the wires, then, rather reluctantly, took out the pouch containing the purple flakes from Magnate Leto's black leaping crystal and adding them to the contraption.

"We won't have a live video," Dex informed them. "But it's better than nothing. Okay, you might want to stand back," he warned and held the altered Penetrator at arm's length like it might blow up any moment—which did _not_ comfort Sophie.

He held it up against the wall, and there was a bang as a boomerang-shaped flash of light passed through straight through—just like phasing, the rare elvin ability to break down one's own molecules in order to pass through solid objects. The boomerang was gone for five, ten, twenty seconds—then it rocketed back through the rock and disappeared into the Penetrator, filling the screen with the projection of a spiraling staircase.

Sophie barely heard Dex's celebration as she leaned in closer. Three figures were walking down the staircase, two of them definitely dwarves. The third was taller, and seemed to be arguing with the others. He pointed back up the staircase, and the two smaller creatures seemed to shake their heads and take off back the way they'd came. Then the taller figure buried his face in his arms, taking a deep, shaky breath before throwing back his hood.

Sophie's eyes widened. "Keefe!"


	11. Chapter 10

**Wow.**

 **This is embarrassing.**

 **Sorry about being, like, four months late or something. Really. I just kinda had writer's block and I wasn't motivated and stuff. And I can't promise the next update will be out soon, especially since we're getting close to the release of the _real_ Neverseen, but I hope I get around to it because I have a LOT of cool stuff planned for the future! Like, I want to just post the scenes I wrote for climax of the fic now. But nope. Patience is a virtue, okay? Maybe?**

 **Anyway, I had this sitting around for a while, so here goes! I'm proud that I did carry out my promise (3,000+ words) even if it took me literally forever.**

 **Oh! And sorry, but I won't be answering comments I got on the last chapter. I tried but it felt weird seeing as it's been a while. BUT I will answer anything that comes my way after this!**

 **Word Count: 3,232 (a personal record! Yay!)**

 **Chapter Ten**

KESIA STARED AT THE PENETRATOR LONG AND HARD.

"I don't get it," she finally admitted. "Why didn't the dwarves attack him? They're supposed to be guarding Exile."

"Unless they're Neverseen dwarves," Sophie reminded her. Kesia mumbled a brief "hm" and and tapped the Penetrator's screen, starting the video over again.

"Nope, those are definitely Exile guards. See—they've got red markings on their balefire pendants. If the Council saw a dwarf here without one, they'd immediately recognize them as an intruder."

"The Neverseen could just look at the markings and copy it," Dex pointed out.

"They could try." Kesia grinned. "But what they _don't_ know is that the markings change every day—and there are also some on the back."

"It doesn't feel like the Council's put much thought into this," Dex said.

"Yeah. It seems too simple—even for the Council. That's why I'm trusting they'd have a backup system. These dwarves _are_ real guards. I've even seen them here before."

"When?"

"When I—" Kesia's expression turned sad again. "Never mind. It's not important, and we don't have time for stories."

"Pleaaase?" Dex begged. "The Black Swan doesn't tell us _anything_."

"Maybe later. First I have to explain Plan B to you guys."

"You said it wasn't going to be pleasant," Sophie remembered.

"We have to do things the way where it always goes wrong. We're going to wait for an opening, then create a distraction."

"Are you going to do some weird terrakinetic thing?" Dex asked.

Kesia laughed. "Nope. Actually, I was thinking we'd use lunchtime."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sophie asked as she held the vial of curdleroot extract as far as possible from her face.

"No. But doing stupid things is part of being in the Black Swan," Kesia said.

"But the Collective is so cautious all the time. It seems like you guys never take risks," mumbled Sophie.

"When it comes to you, they don't wanna screw anything up, or give you any information that you probably should know." She added a scowl to the end of the sentence.. "But the rest of us, we're free to do what we want. So long as we get the job done and don't get captured. And if we do…" her tone turned dark as her fingers traced the tiny bottle of poison hanging from a chain on her neck.

Sophie shivered. "Anyway," she said, needing to change the subject. "How is this going to work?"

Kesia held up a dull gray fruit that looked a little like a cherry—if a cherry had rock-hard skin. "This is a bluntberry. It's juice dulls the senses, but it tastes almost as bad as what you're holding. The plan is to get it into the dwarves' food so they can't sense our presence, but as soon as they take a bite they'll know what's up. That's where the curdleroot extract comes in."

"We mix it with the bluntberry juice to disguise the taste, right?" Dex asked.

"Uh-huh. Dwarves aren't known for their sense of smell, so _maybe_ they won't know the extract is there and take a bite. _Maybe._ And that's pushing it."

"Isn't there a better way?" Sophie asked.

"No. Unless you want to fight all the dwarves in Exile and get banished by the Council again."

"I think I'll pass," Dex jumped in.

"Me two," agreed Sophie.

"Okay, so _listen._ What we need to do is get these into the dwarves' food before they eat. I know they go to a room closer to the surface when it's not their shift, and I think I know the general direction. So we find where the lunch is, and that's where Dex comes in."

"Not again," he complained.

"Yes again. So you create some cool gadget to get the curdleroot extract and the bluntberry juice into the food, then we watch. When the dwarves react to the curdleroots, we go straight to The Room Where Chances Are Lost. The bluntberries should kick in immediately. If the plan doesn't work, we leave. I don't want the Collective to flip out. Heads up," she said suddenly and pointed at the wall before Sophie could react, causing the dirt tunnel to shift direction and push them onwards.

She didn't lose her balance this time, but that was probably because earth was moving much slower. Almost with a sense of caution. But that wasn't right—dirt wasn't alive.

To her left, Dex had already started messing with a bunch of metal scraps.

"How much stuff can you fit in your pockets?" Sophie asked incredulously.

"A lot, actually. I even have an obscurer somewhere. Hey! Would that hide us from the guards?"

"Sadly, no," Kesia told him. "They don't have to see or hear us to know we're there."

"Aw." Dex sighed and took the obscurer out of one of his pockets, disassembling it and adding pieces to his improvised gadget.

After several minutes, Kesia closed her eyes tight and said, "We're here. I can sense the earth's uncomfort. It's been held off with stone so the room doesn't collapse."

" _The earth is alive?_ " Dex said.

Kesia laughed. "Sort of. Not alive like we are. Obviously it doesn't have a brain. But it does have a kind of powerful rhythm—which we terrakinetics can translate, sorta like empaths."

"I wish I was a terrakinetic," mumbled Dex.

"Aw, don't be like that!" Kesia grinned and put her arm around Dex, who was only slightly shorter. "You're already almost as talented as I am!"

"Almost?" he muttered and shoved her off.

"Sheesh, pouty much?"

"Shouldn't we be serious right now?" Sophie said.

"I am being serious," Kesia said with a huge grin, which didn't help prove her point at all.

"So Dex, we should I put this?" Sophie asked, turning away from the terrakinetic.

"Oh, um, right here." He pointed to a slot in his makeshift gadget, which by now resembled a six-legged blob, almost like a mechanical spider. Sophie fixed the curdleroot extract in the vial-sized slot and turned to Kesia, who handed her the bluntberry.

"You'll need to crack it," she explained. "Just, I don't know, pick up a rock."

"No, I got this." Dex pulled out the same instrument he'd used to chip the purple leaping crystal and stabbed at the berry. "It's—really—hard—there!" A gooey pink liquid dripped from the crack in the hard gray shell, and Dex scrambled to position the drip over a second slot in the gadget. One drop spilled onto his hand, and Dex yelped when the liquid sizzled and burned his skin.

"Sorry!" Kesia said, wide-eyed. "I should've warned you. Do you feel okay?"

"What? Why wouldn't I—" Dex started and then stopped, a dull mist clouding his eyes. "Everything's gray. I can't even smell the curdleroot stuff anymore." His words, usually full of energy, were oddly sluggish and hesitant.

"Dex?" Sophie shook his shoulders, scared when he didn't even seem to notice.

"I am _so_ sorry, Sophie." Kesia's voice was purely self-accusatory. She kicked out at nothing in particular. "It's my fault. The juice affected him before I could do anything. I should've cracked it."

"Is—is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah. Eventually. My sister should be here—she keeps me in check."

"You have a sister?" Sophie stopped shaking Dex and instead focused on Kesia, who for once looked genuinely upset.

"Yeah. The Collective wouldn't want you to know this, but—" A deep breath. "—she's a Pyrokinetic."

"Another one?" Sophie said, then covered her mouth. Kesia smiled sadly and turned away, facing the dirt tunnel.

"I talk too much, huh?" She forced a laugh that sounded more like a strangled choking sound. "Thirty minutes in and I've told you pretty much everything."

"Um, sorry," Sophie whispered. "I just haven't had many good experiences with Pyrokinetics."

"I understand," Kesia said. "But Ea's not like the others. She's vulnerable, soft—she's _never_ tried to summon Everblaze."

"I promise I'll try to keep an open mind."

Kesia turned back to face her. "Now I get why you're the Moonlark," she said with a smile. "You're soft, just like…." her voice trailed off.

Sophie decided not to question who exactly she was being compared to and why it wa so secret.

"Hey!" she said instead and telekinetically threw a clod of dirt at Kesia. The terrakinetic stared at her with a faceful of earth, then cracked up.

"You really wanna do this?" she said and shoved Sophie, causing the entire dirt tunnel to follow her direction. "Whoops," she yelled as the earth groaned and struggled for balance. "Um—this way!"

Sophie covered her head with her arms as Kesia opened up a new passageway to the left, and they ran for their lives. Then Sophie remembered Dex and pulled him along for the ride. Rocks cascaded from the ceiling. They stung as they rained onto Sophie's skin. They must've been hurting Dex too, but the dullness in his eyes made Sophie wonder if he could even feel them.

At least he'd started running on his own. She wasn't sure how much longer she could run with his weight slowing her down.

"See—this is exactly what I meant," Kesia shouted over the roar of the earth. "I don't know why the Collective even let me bring you here. I'm not very—" a large chunk of rock came falling down, nearly hitting Sophie in the head. "—responsible."

Soon the miniature avalanche quieted, and Sophie could get her bearings. Sort of. "Where are we?" she asked.

Kesia ran her fingers through her hair like a comb, brushing out rocks and dirt, and responded, "I don't know—wait." She pressed her ear to the freshly packed earth and closed her eyes in concentration. If Sophie hadn't known dirt wasn't alive, it would've looked like she were listening to the earth's voice.

"This way!" Kesia said, and shifted the balance of the tunnel once again, unbalancing Sophie and Dex.

Sophie reminded herself never to travel underground. Ever. Again.

"What's going on?" Dex asked sleepily.

"Nothing," Kesia insisted. "Just keep up with us, okay?"

They moved onward until Kesia pushed the tunnel into a rock wall.

"Here we are. This is the passageway to the luncheon room. There's only one problem."

"What is it?" Sophie asked.

"We have no idea how to work Dex's gadget. And it doesn't look like he's in any shape to tell us."

Sophie wrestled the gadget from Dex's iron grip, and examined the spider-like contraption. "I think we just have to get it to the other side of this wall."

"And then it activates all by itself?"

"I...don't know."

"Well, let's take it one step at a time. Here—we—go!" Kesia slammed her fist into the wall, passing through it like it was mush. "The gadget?" she inquired.

Sophie passed it to her and she dropped it onto the ground.

"Wasn't there a barrier?" Sophie asked.

"It only blocks non-physical things," explained Kesia. "Like sound. Or noise. But this thing, they don't see a need to block it. Remember, anyone who tries to break into Exile is crazy."

"So we're all crazy," Sophie said.

"Took you this long to figure it out?" The terrakinetic laughed. "No, but, in all seriousness, how does this work?"

She took out Dex's modified Penetrator and sent the light boomerang through the wall. When it came back, the screen lit up with the image of a bleak stone corridor. The spider gadget was on the ground, lifeless. Then a dwarf turned the corner.

"Shhh," Kesia urged as Sophie made a sound.

"Sorry."

"I said, shhh!"

The dwarf was carrying a box in his arms. He was about ten yards from the gadget. Then the video feed blinked away.

Kesia sent the light through the wall again.

 _Come on come on come on,_ Sophie silently prayed.

The Penetrator lit up again. The dwarf was nearer now, and the gadget still wasn't doing anything. It was only a matter of time before he noticed the machine or passed by it without it doing anything.

Then the spider gadget whirred to life, nimbly picking itself up and scurrying over to meet the dwarf. It was only about a third of the size of Sophie fist, so it was able to climb the wall and drop onto the side of the box without the dwarf noticing anything suspicious.

The gadget seemed to stick two of its spindly legs through the box. It took a moment before Sophie realized that the liquid in the curdleroot and bluntberry vials were draining. Then the spider dropped to the floor and the Imparter went dark.

"Yes!" Kesia cheered, pumping her fist. "It worked!"

"Are you sure?" Sophie worried.

"Yeah. We can monitor the situation, don't worry. Look." She shot a larger beam of light from the Penetrator. It was gone for at least a hundred seconds before shooting back into the silver square.

The screen showed the dwarf carrying the box enter the room and set down the box, drawing out several packages. There were about five other dwarves in the room—Sophie didn't pay much attention. She and Kesia watched as the dwarf who seemed to be in charge unwrapped his package and took a bite out of whatever food was inside. The actual food item was covering from view by the paper wrapping, but Sophie was certain he'd eaten the food.

"Okay, let's go," Kesia urged, slamming both fists through the wall and parting her arms to create an archway of space for Sophie and Dex to pass through. "They eat quickly then return to their posts."

She practically shoved Sophie and Dex through the hallway. They frantically raced through the circular passageways, alighting in a hexagonal room.

The Room Where Chances Are Lost. But today, Sophie realized, it might also been the place where chances were regained.

Then she spotted a cloaked figure huddled in the corner.

"I'll stand guard," Kesia said quickly and exited, pulling a confused Dex along with her.

Sophie approached the figure gingerly. "Keefe?"

He looked up, his blond hair flat and unstyled. There was a dull look in his eyes that reminded Sophie of the way the bluntberry juice had affected Dex.

"Sophie."

"Where are the dwarves you came with?" she asked suspiciously.

"I told them to search for you upstairs. The Neverseen think this is a trap."

"Is it?"

He looked away. "No."

Sophie stepped closer, hating it when Keefe cringed. "So what did you want to tell me?"

"I can't believe you came," he said, dodging the question. "Why do you still trust me?"

She knelt down and tried to get him to meet her eyes. "Because you're my friend. What did you call me here for?"

Keefe swallowed, a nervous look settling in his eyes. "The Neverseen are planning something."

Sophie didn't miss that fact that he said "the Neverseen" and not "we." Maybe there _was_ still hope.

"This time you won't be the target. Well—not yet. They know you're unstoppable when you have your friends"—he cringed again—"so they're planning to use everyone for a...an _experiment._ "

" _What_ experiment?"

"The Lodestar Initiative."

Sophie couldn't help it. A huge gasp left her mouth and ricocheted around the room. "Is that what you were raised for? Was that what the memories you recovered were about?"

He pressed himself farther back into the corner. "I—I can't tell you."

"Why?" Sophie growled. "Please, Keefe! I came all the way here, I risked banishment again, just to meet you. I want to trust you—but you're making it hard!"

"I want to tell you—I really do, Sophie. But Brant said if I let anything slip, they'll—ugh!" he clutched his head, casting his face in shadows. "I can't say what they threatened me with, but…it involves my mom." The shadows crawled deeper into his features. "Please, Sophie, don't ask questions. The dwarves could be back any second. _Please_ just listen."

"Okay," Sophie reluctantly agreed. "Or you could come back with us, and we could—"

"No!" Keefe interrupted. "I made my decision. I'm not turning back now."

"Turning back from _what?"_

"You promised you were done asking questions," Keefe reminded her. "Okay, so here's what I can tell you: the Neverseen know where Alluveterre is—I didn't tell them. They—they probed my mind. They know everything. And I don't even know who their leader is. The only thing I was able to find out was that they are planning to visit Alluvettere, and they think Linh and Tam might be useful—they need Shades or something. I can't stop them and the Collective won't be able to, either. They're much more dangerous than I thought, Sophie. Brant and Fintan are the least of your worries. So get Linh and Tam out of Alluvettere, okay?"

"Okay, but I don't understand—"

"Shh!" Keefe covered Sophie's mouth with his cloak's sleeves. Sophie startled, and the shadows veiling Keefe's face weren't enough to completely cover his blush.

 _Fwump._

A footstep echoed on the stone floor. Sophie's eyes widened and she looked around wildly, heart pounding.

"Sophie, I need to go!" Keefe said, drawing out a black leaping crystal. He bit his lip, looking down. "But if you want to find out more, go to Brackendale. The plague wasn't the only thing the Neverseen were using it for. Just don't go into the—"

"Hey!" a low voice growled, and Keefe disappeared in a beam of light.

Sophie turned to face the passage she'd come from.

Five or six dwarves stood there—including the one she'd watched carry the food parcel and the two dwarves that had accompanied Keefe. Kesia and Dex stood in front of them. Sophie wondered why they weren't moving until she spotted the fissures in the earth stopping right before their feet.

Dex looked angry and confused, but at least seemed back to normal as his eyes stayed transfixed on the fissure threatening to swallow him. Kesia caught Sophie's terrified gaze and winked.

The lead dwarf took a step forward and raised his foot to crack the earth. "I am impressed you four have gotten this far, although you were foolish to think we wouldn't notice your device." He brought from behind his back Dex's device, its many legs smashed and bent at all angles. "The Council _will_ know about this."

"Wait!" Sophie said. "Does the Council know that those two work for the Neverseen?" She pointed at the two dwarves. Their expressions didn't shift."

"Liar," one of them growled.

"No—they were with Keefe! They're spies!"

The tiniest flicker of doubt crossed the face of the dwarf who had spoken. It was only for a second, but it lasted long enough for the dwarf in charge to see it. Without warning, he stomped his foot and Sophie braced for the ground to give way under her feet, but nothing happened. Instead, two more mini-fissures circled the Neverseen dwarves. They tried to redirect the fissures and then to dig into the earth, but the leader's trap held steady.

"Thank you," he said to Sophie. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're here uninvited. You will have to be captured and brought to the Council."

He took a step closer to Sophie and the earth exploded.


	12. Chapter 11

**Wow, so this is pretty much the first time in a while I've posted a chapter so soon after the last. I've been inspired over the past few days. I wanna drill out as many chapters as I can before Lodestar comes out and this whole fic is pointless!**

 **ThatsencenboyXD: Thanks for commenting! I'm going to take that as I compliment? Either way, I'm glad it's not boring.**

 **Word Count: 2,252**

 **Chapter Eleven**

LIKE A RUBBER BAND SNAPPING INTO PLACE, ORION WOKE.

Everything was dark. Was the world supposed to be like this? Somehow she didn't think so. And it was cold, too. Without knowing what she was doing, she instinctively brought her arms to her chest, trying to warm the chill within herself.

Then suddenly she was aware of her whole body. Joints and muscles, arms and legs, nose, mouth—

Eyes. That's when she realized a thin layer of skin was covering her eyes. Gingerly, she opened them a crack.

The world stayed black.

She wasn't sure what she was supposed to see, but her instincts told her this wasn't right. Suddenly feeling trapped, her arms shot out to test the space around her.

The next feeling to hit her was pain, pain as one of her arms collided with the sharp corner of some sort of object. Then she could feel it too, right under her. Upon further touch, it was made of some solid yet smooth material and covered with a soft, cushy layer. She was surprised to realize it was comfortable.

But she was still cold, and still could see nothing. She brought her arms back to her chest.

Then suddenly she heard a voice in her head.

"Focus. You can keep warm if you try hard enough."

She didn't understand, because she had no memories. Nothing to guide her but pure instinct. But still, somewhere inside she knew the voice was right. She _did_ have the power—and somewhere in her, she could feel it, thrumming and tingly and comforting.

She drew it closer to her heart, and suddenly she knew there were no limitations, no boundaries, nothing to stop her from achieving the impossible—because deep within her being, she knew that was exactly why she was here.

There was a quiet pop as a soft, thick object drifted down and covered her in warmth. She could feel her facial muscles tightening as her mouth twisted in a smile. Then she snuggled up into a cozy position and dozed off.

"Sophie? _Sophie?"_ Someone was calling. Orion didn't think the voice sounded familiar, but a moment later she realized why because she wasn't Orion, she was Sophie, and all that had been a dream—

"Dex?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, I'm here. Kesia, too. You were asleep for a really long time."

"Mhm," was all Sophie could manage. There was a throbbing pain in her hand from when she had hit the corner of the bed with her arm—but then she realized that hadn't happened either.

Sophie reached to touch the source of the pain with her other hand, but someone caught her fingers with their own.

"Don't," Kesia's voice warned.

A sense of dread filled Sophie's heart and suddenly she could envision a billion horrible things that could've happened to her hand. Slowly and hesitantly, she opened her eyes.

Kesia was leaning over her with an uncharacteristically worried look in her eyes, and Dex kneeled by her side, blocking most of her surroundings. But not her wound.

A fresh wave of pain shot up her arm as she stared at the huge pointy stone impaling the back of her hand—right over the star-shaped bruise from Mr. Forkle's needle. Wrapped uselessly around the wound were bloodstained bandages. Worse, she could barely feel her fingers.

"Breathe, Sophie," Kesia ordered as the world spun in circles. "You'll be fine. We contacted—" she came to a half abruptly as if she had been about to reveal something secret. "We contacted Physic," she continued.

Sophie had only met Physic once, when she'd healed Fitz after he'd been stabbed by a giant bug creature. She had seemed nice enough, and funny too—although her odd mask was pretty unsettling. Sophie also remembered that Physic had wanted to share her real identity, but had been stopped by Mr. Forkle. Maybe now she'd finally find out.

If only her hand hadn't been throbbing so intensely, because it was making it super hard to think.

Wait.

"Where are the dwarves from Exile?" Sophie managed.

"Gone," Kesia said with a shrug.

"You killed them?" Alarm dulled the pain of her wound long enough for Sophie to sit up.

"No! I just, sent them off. To the Collective, or something. They'll probably have their recent memories wiped, but I'd say they deserve it after what happened."

Without waiting for Sophie to ask what happened, she continued. "When they attacked you and Dex, I was able to reverse the fissures. My power over the earth took them by surprise, and I was able to grab you two and leave.

But before we got far enough, the dwarves deliberately caused a cave-in and your hand was stabbed by that stone. That's when I used the rest of my power to encase them in earth and send them flying through the ground. Hopefully they reach the rest of the Black Swan."

Kesia shrugged like her power was no big deal and totally not _terrifying._ Sophie couldn't even imagine what it would be like to face an enemy terrakinetic, partially because of the pain blocking her stream of thought.

"So now where are we?" Sophie murmured.

"Away," said Kesia unhelpfully.

"Some meadow in the middle of nowhere," Dex added.

The only meadow she could think of through the haze of pain was the one Silveny had brought her to, back when she'd been defective. Staring upwards, she thought the beautiful blue sky was the perfect place for a sparkly winged horse. She wondered where Silveny was now, and—

Sophie gasped, making both Dex and Kesia jump. "The Council! I forgot to check on Silveny and report to them!"

"Your hand is more important. That can come later," Kesia said dismissively.

"No, you don't understand! I could get banished again, Councillor Alina—"

"—Is a total jerk. Sophie, you can't let them push you around. You're stronger than they are. They can't touch the Black Swan."

"The last time we thought that, Fitz was impaled by a giant horn," Sophie argued.

"Uh, someone just light leaped here!" Dex interrupted. Kesia hopped to her feet enthusiastically.

Sophie hadn't seen her appear, but a moment later a female elf was leaning down in front of her. She had chai toned skin and deep green-blue eyes like the ocean. Cedar-colored hair covered part of her eyes and was fashioned into a thick ponytail at the back of her head, with two mini ponytails resembling paintbrushes tied from either side of her bangs. They came to rest on her chest.

"Um, hi," Sophie began, confused. "Who are—"

She cut short when the elf laughed and smiled wide despite the situation. "I'm disappointed in you, Sophie. We were standing in the same room just a few days ago."

A few days ago? A lot had happened over the past days. She tried to think. They'd gone to Exile, but that obviously wasn't it… she'd been to Foxfire, but this elf was definitely too old to be a prodigy at her school. Even before that, she'd been at the stone cottage, ready to heal—

"Prentice! You were there at the healing!" Sophie said. "You're Physic!"

"Spot on, as usual." She smiled. Her grin was warm and mischievous, reaching all the way up to her eyes. Sophie thought she looked older than Kesia, although definitely younger than the rest of the Black Swan. "But, my name isn't Physic."

"What is it?"

"Inquisitive as always. Sir Kerlof would _hate_ me telling you." Somehow Sophie got the sense that Physic was enjoying breaking the rules. "But personally I think he's overreacting. Either way, I'm not on the Council's database. My name's Chaia."

 _Chaia,_ Sophie repeated in her head. For some reason, the name sounded distinctly Gnomish. It reminded her of forests and redwoods.

"Okay, now let's fix that hand up."

Sophie tried not to wince as Chaia peeled away the bloody bandages from the wound. Even through the pain, she didn't miss the way the healer sucked in a breath.

"This is going to hurt." Concern was etched into Chaia's voice.

"You could give her painkiller," suggested Kesia from somewhere behind Sophie.

"Maybe. It's just so...unnatural," Chaia said with distaste. "I'd rather use _real_ remedies."

She opened that same bag she'd had in the Stone Cottage, and dug out a thick brown paste. When she caught the look of hesitation in Sophie's eyes, she cracked another smile. "It's not what you think it is, don't worry."

Still, Sophie's skin crawled as the paste was smeared over the wound. She expected it to sting—and it did, for a moment. But as the medicine sank in, her hand mostly just felt warm and tingly.

She reveled in the strange sensation until there was a yank and the stone came free of her hand.

Sophie screamed. She hated it, because she'd endured so much worse, and she didn't want to look like a crybaby in front of Dex. But the pain was so whole and complete, even with the painkiller, that she couldn't help it. And the worst part was the hole in her flesh.

She could hear Dex freaking out, too. And a loud intake a breath that sounded more like a yelp from Kesia. But Chaia stayed calm.

"Just breathe, Sophie. It's over," the elf said as she dripped some liquid onto Sophie's wound. She barely processed it as the skin closed over the gap and the blood stopped flowing freely. As the pain faded, her breathing changed from short, ragged gasps to a more steady pattern. She felt, much, much better.

"It'll hurt for a while. Try not to use it. But the rest should heal on it's own."

"Thanks," Sophie said weakly. Luckily it was her left hand and not her dominant one. She tested her fingers. The movement sent a sharp pain flying up her arm, but at least she could feel them now.

"No problem," Chaia said cheerfully. "Where are you three heading?"

"To Brackendale. Keefe said the Neverseen were doing something there. He tried to warn me about something, too, but then the dwarves arrived."

"Now?" Dex asked at the same time that Chaia said "cool" and Kesia growled, "Oh no you don't."

"You are not going anywhere else today," the terrakinetic said.

Sophie was confused by this sudden shift in personality. "But why? It could be important?"

"How do you think the Collective will react if I take you off to another mission—without permission and right after you've been wounded? They're already going to be mad. We almost got caught by the Council's dwarves, which I'm sure even they will realize they're missing sooner or later."

"But—" Sophie continued.

"No butt's. We're going back and that's final."

"Keefe seemed really stressed, though. There must be a reason."

"What if you and I went," Chaia asked Kesia. "Then Dex can take Sophie back, and if we find anything we'll alert the Collective."

Kesia seemed to relax back into her normal easygoing personality. "That's a good compromise. What d'you guys think?" she asked Sophie and Dex.

Sophie really wanted to go, but on the other hand she knew this was probably the best option she'd get.

"It's better than nothing," she said.

"Okay." Dex shrugged.

"If we're not back by nighttime, tell the Collective where we went," Chaia instructed.

"Will you be okay, though? You're a healer, not a fighter," Sophie commented.

"I'm whatever I want to be."

"That's how it goes in the Black Swan," explained Kesia. "If you're good enough, you're in. Chaia's a healer _and_ an operative—plus she's got _two_ super cool abilities."

"What can you do?" Dex asked with interest.

"Well, to start, I'm a polyglot. I don't really know if that qualifies as "super cool," but I guess it's something. _And—"_ A crooked smile. "I can do something unique. There are these, sort of, glints of life everywhere. Maybe the gnomes at Alluveterre told you about them. Either way, I can ask them to do things. Create images that aren't really there, or instantly know the remedy for almost any type of injury."

"So you can, like, control them?" Dex asked.

"No!" She shook her head, looking upset. "They may not be sentient, but they're still part of nature. I would never force them to do anything with my power."

Dex apologized, but Chaia wouldn't hear it. "You don't need to say sorry," she said.

Sophie regarded her curiously. There was something that reminded her so much of the gnomes she'd met. Although she was obviously an elf, she seemed to respect all life and nature just as much as Calla and the others had. There was a twinge of pain when she thought of the gnome who had sacrificed herself.

"Do you have your home crystal?" Chaia asked, holding up a yellow crystal of her own. Sophie nodded. "Good. Leap straight home."

And before Sophie could ask her about gnomes, she and Kesia light leaped away.

Sophie suddenly realized how tired she was. The events of the day washed over her in waves. Keefe, the dwarves, then her very realistic dream. That was the strangest part. Sophie shrugged it off—she'd had plenty of weird dreams before.

Wordlessly, she motioned for Dex to come to her side and held up her crystal, taking one last look at the lush green meadow before letting the two of them be swept away with the light.

 **You're all probably so confused by the beginning of chapter 11.**

 **Good.**

 **I guess you'll find out soon tho. Soon-ish. I _promise_ I'll update soon!**


	13. So What Now?

Hey everyone.

Things have been sort of crazy recently. I'm applying to high school this year (In case you're wondering, I'm 14). The whole process is way more stressful than it should be, and I haven't gotten around to much writing. I'm not trying to make excuses, just explaining what's been going on.

On another note, Lodestar came out yesterday. I'm super excited to start reading it, and I'm sure it'll be amazing! BUT, this does leave me with a sort of tough decision. Do I keep going with my version of the story, or stop now that the real deal is out there? If I do decide to stop writing, don't worry, I have some scenes I've written in advance that I'll post to give you an idea of what I was planning.

I do love writing this story, though, and would dislike leaving this project incomplete. So, I have a question to ask of you:

 **Would you be interested in reading more, even with the real story out? Please be honest. I just want to know if I should dedicate my time to finishing this fic or not.**

Okay, I have one last thing to do. I want to answer comments I got on the last chapters. Sorry this isn't a new chapter, but I felt this post was necessary.

 **JoySeph13** \- Aw, I'm flattered. I dunno how to thank for that amazing praise. I dunno if I've earned it, either. My updates have been... inconsistent, to say the least. But thank you so much!

 **Kotlc 1 Fan** \- Sorry. I really regret making all those false update promises. I promise I won't promise anything else :3

lol

Anyway, thank you so so so much!

 **ally77461** \- Readers like you are the best. How you do it, I have no idea. All I know is you deserve some nice, freshly baked mallowmelt.


	14. Chapter 12

**This chapter is the last chapter with a bit of action for a while. I realized Sophie needs some downtime, lol. Plus, she's been a bad girl and forgot to check in on Silveny. Anyway.**

 **REPLIES**

 **KOTLC 1 Fan: Aw, thanks for your support! I'll definitely check out your stories!**

 **Stars and Alicorns: Thanks! I've decided to continue, but also to add some cannon things from the real Lodestar (because I really like what happens in it). I'll be sure to add spoiler warnings, though, in case some of you haven't read it yet.**

 **panda: Uh, not sure what "XD" means in this context. But... okay. Thanks?**

 **Chapter Twelve**

SOPHIE REALLY, REALLY MISSED SILVENY.

Sitting all alone on her bed in Havenfield, she could really use the company of a sparkly winged horse. Plus, she needed to carry out her promise to the Council.

She stretched out her mind like a shadow, feeling for the tiniest whisper of an alicorn's thoughts. She imagined Silveny flying through the cloudy sky with Greyfell at her side, munching down on grass in a peaceful valley, drinking from a lazy stream. She reached out farther and wanted to laugh when she heard an excited voice.

 _Friend! Sophie!_

 _Are you safe?_ Sophie transmitted.

 _Safe!_ Silveny agreed. _Fly free!_

Sophie let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. It was nice to know that her sparkly winged friend was doing okay.

The next ten minutes basically consisted of Sophie asking Silveny every question she could think of—which turned out to be a lot. It seemed that both of the alicorns were happy and safe, and Silveny's unborn baby was healthy too. They hadn't ran into any trouble yet. Sophie just hoped it stayed that way.

 _I'll see you soon,_ Sophie promised as she dropped their connection and pulled out her imparter.

"Show me Councillor Terik," she instructed. The screen whirred to life, showing a very stressed-looking Terik sitting in his crystal tower.

"Hello, Sophie," he said. "It's been a while."

"Sorry," she said. "I was kind of unconscious for a few days."

"I—I'm not even going to ask how that happened. I hope you're not doing anything against the law."

"I'm not," she lied. "Anyway, I talked to Silveny. She and Greyfall are safe, and her baby is fine."

Councillor Terik looked relieved. "Good. The Council has been very worried that our decision to let Silveny go might've been wrong. Many elves with jobs in the Sanctuary are upset."

"Is Jurek okay?"

"He was very proud of his job with the Alicorns—so I'd say no." A tiny rueful smile twitched across his face. "I must say, I rather miss Greyfell. He's been with us for centuries."

"At least the ogres don't know where they are," Sophie offered.

"Yes. At least." A deep sigh. "Well, thank you for your report. It is in your best interest to make the next one on time. _Some_ of us," he started, voice becoming uncharacteristically angry, "believe that you are still our enemy. I do not wish to fight you and your friends—and neither do Bronte and Oralie. Kenric wouldn't have either, but…."

 _His replacement is basically evil,_ Sophie finished in her head.

"I must go, Sophie. One more thing: I hope you decide to hand over the cache soon, because in the wrong hands it could destroy the Lost Cities." His image disappeared, but not before a deep dread sunk into Sophie's mind. They really, _really_ needed to find the cache. And to find it, they needed to be doing something. Something useful.

Sophie scowled and wished yet again that she were in Brackendale with Chaia and Kesia.

There was a knock on the door, shaking her out of her brooding.

"Come in," she called.

Grady entered the room and instantly spotted her. "I hate to interrupt—er—whatever you were doing—" She must've had a sour expression on her face. "—but I have some questions about your trip to Exile. And also, you have a visitor."

"Can I do that first?" Sophie asked, not wanting to think about or go to Austeria ever again. She'd honestly rather go back to the Neutral Territories at this point.

"Nope," Grady said stubbornly. "I want to hear everything that happened—and then some. Dex said you were injured."

"It was nothing serious," lied Sophie.

Grady didn't look like he was falling for it. "Then why did you need to call a healer? And why is your hand all red?"

At last Sophie obliged. She told him about Kesia and their plan to fool the dwarves, how Dex accidentally touched the bluntberry juice, the meeting with Keefe (leaving out a few _minor_ details), their confrontation with the dwarves, waking up with the stone impaling her hand, and calling Chaia to help her (somehow she didn't think the elf would mind her telling Grady about her identity). The only thing she left out was her dream. It felt oddly personal and she felt herself firmly withholding the experience.

After a pause Grady blinked. "Well, it sounds like you've had quite a day."

"You're not… mad?" Sophie said.

"Why would I be? You're alright. I mean, I still wish you hadn't gone, but it's not like it's the most dangerous thing we've let you do. I trust you, Sophie. Now go downstairs and talk to your visitor."

Sophie gave him a hug, relieved, then headed down to the main floor. She didn't know who she'd been expecting—maybe Dex or Biana, or Magnate Leto, or even Fitz (although she didn't really expect him to apologize any time soon), but who she found was almost better.

"Tiergan!" Sophie tackled him with a hug. Only recently had she felt comfortable treating him like Alden and Grady, and things had been a little complicated with the discovery of his secret identity, but she trusted him probably the most out of everyone in the Black Swan.

He laughed, although he seemed very tired. "How are you doing, Sophie?"

"I think I've been better," she responded honestly.

"Me too. I was just talking with Prentice. He's…. Starting to adjust. But it's been very hard for him."

Sophie still wasn't sure how she felt about Prentice. Mostly she wanted to avoid him, because even though she was happy he was awake, she could envision a very awkward conversation between the two of them.

"Anyway," Tiergan said, shaking his head as if to clear it. "How did Exile go?"

She didn't want to tell the whole story all over again, so she simply said, "I saw Keefe, and he told me the Neverseen were planning to hurt my friends, and that he couldn't tell me how because he was being threatened. Something about his mom. He also said they were up to something at Brackendale."

"Did you go there?" Tiergan's posture was alarmed.

"No. I wanted to, but Chaia—um, I mean Physic—"

He cut her off. "She told you her real name?" He didn't looked surprised, but maybe a little annoyed. "Please continue."

"I was hurt, so she healed me," Sophie recalled. "I wanted to go to Brackendale, but Kesia refused and Chaia suggested they go alone." She peeked out the window. It was turning dark. "Have they come back yet?"

"No," Tiergan said. "Actually, that's also what I came here to ask you. Kesia told us she'd make her report right when you three got back, but she hasn't returned, and the gnomes told us Chaia hadn't come home either."

"She lives with gnomes?"

"Yes. She was part of… something special. Let's just say she's a one-of-a-kind elf."

" _Was_ part of something special?"

"The Black Swan has changed a lot over the past few decades." He wasn't really answering her question, as usual.

But Sophie couldn't help wondering if maybe she wasn't the only member of the Black Swan who was different. Suddenly she wanted to know more about the group—and she also realized that she literally knew close to nothing.

"Can you tell me how the Black Swan was created?"

Tiergan looked taken aback. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious."

"Well—" he scratched his chin. "—The others have already sent out a few of the gnomes of Alluveterre to search Brackendale, so I suppose we have time…"

Something clicked into place in Sophie's mind. She gasped, her curiosity forgotten. "I need to go to Alluveterre. Right. Now."

"What? Sophie, you just came back from Exile!"

"But you said it's unguarded, right? Now that the gnomes have left? Linh and Tam are still there—the Neverseen are planning something, they need Tam! We have to go stop them _right now_."

"I—we—" Tiergan looked like he was being torn in multiple directions. He ran his hand through his hair, something Alden usually did—which was very out of character. "I'll go, Sophie. Wait here."

"I don't want to wait around anymore! I want to _help!"_ Sophie argued. "I'm not useless"

"I never said you were. But some things are just too dangerous."

"But—but—" Sophie struggled to find an excuse. "Tam might not listen to you! If I come they'll trust me."

"Fine. But you are going to stay behind me at all times—and light leap away if it gets dangerous. Understand, Sophie?"

She nodded and he handed her a black crystal with a purple gleam. A special Black Swan leaping crystal just to get out of Alluveterre.

"I can't tell my parents," Sophie said regretfully. "They won't want me to leave."

She was sort of upset about how quickly her _no secrets_ policy was falling apart.

Tiergan looked like he wanted to ask her to stay again, but then seemed to realize she wouldn't. "Okay," he said. "But we need to tell them something. I'll be right back—be ready to leave."

With that, he rushed out of the room.

Sophie flopped down onto the couch, scowling. She was sick of everything going wrong—it was just one thing after another. The realization that she knew almost nothing about the Black Swan hadn't helped, either. She seriously needed to remedy that.

A thought struck her that the Black Swan were just as secretive as the Neverseen. She had always thought it weird how they didn't seem to tell their members anything. It had taken over a year just to meet the Collective—and she only knew most of them in their nearly impenetrable disguises.

The flutter of a cape caught her attention. Sophie looked up, into the eyes of a freaked-out Tiergan.

"Magnate Leto hasn't answered my calls," he said. "We're on our own."

A growing sense of dread weighed itself on Sophie's mind as they left Havenfield and created a path with the special crystal.

Something felt wrong. And she got the sense it was about to get a whole lot worse.

They arrived at Alluveterre in a shower of light. All around them was a raging fire, and the air was thick with smoke. It wasn't everblaze—but Sophie could tell it wasn't natural.

Heat singed her skin as memories poured into her head.

 _The San Diego fires. Burning white-hot in the shape of a swan._

 _Metal digging into her wrists and ankles, the sweet smell of sedatives choking her. A ghostly voice, her anguished screams, burning flesh._

 _A melting tower. Molten gemstones dripping. Hoarse throat, burning tears, a city going up in yellow flames. Kenric. Lost forever. All because of—_

"Fintan," Sophie got out. "And Brant. They did this." A surge of emotions rose up, threatening to overwhelm her.

"We're too late," Tiergan said sorrowfully.

"No!" Sophie gasped. She rushed forward, toward the twin tree houses. Tiergan caught her wrist, but she managed to wiggle out of his grasp. "Linh! Tam!" she screamed. She could hear Tiergan behind her, calling her name. Sophie made her voice even louder. "Are you two here?"

She ran up to the girls tree house first, pounding on the door. "Linh?"

"Sophie!" Tiergan urged. "Stop that. We need to stay calm."

How could she? With fire all around her, and her friends missing…

 _A wall of flames, surrounding the ragtag group. Trapped, helpless, betrayal. The Neverseen. Alvar turning his back to his family._

No. Tiergan was right. She had to pull herself together.

Sophie took a deep breath. "I'm okay now."

"Can you try to transmit to them?" Tiergan asked.

She stretched out her consciousness, feeling for any thoughts in the area besides her own and Tiergan's. Nothing. "They're not here," she said quietly, then froze. A tiny mental thought hit her radar. _Help._

Sophie ran down the stairs, Tiergan on her heels. "Someone's here!"

 _They took him._

"Linh? Tam?" Sophie followed the thought to its source, and saw a tattered cloak covering a lump. It was half-hidden behind a clump of ferns.

Sophie gingerly reached down and lifted the fabric.

She staggered backwards, right into Tiergan.

"What is it, Sophie?" he asked, out of breath.

Sophie stayed silent for a moment. Then she crouched down next to the ferns, choking back tears. "It's Linh."


	15. Chapter 13

**Whew! High school applications are 99% over, and now I can breathe again! More time to write! Yay! I'm also starting a new side-fic about Keefe and his mom, and it won't be updated frequently, but it'll be there, so I'd appreciate it if you guys could check it out!**

 **Okay, so in this chapter I added in a few canon things (SPOILER ALERT FOR THE REAL LODESTAR). Flori the gnome and the function of the Lodestar mirror are both Shannon Messenger's creations. My plans for this fic involves pulling from canon (although my version of Lodestar Keefe is WAY more angsty than canon Lodestar Keefe. Whoops.)**

 **Also, Sophie definitely needs a break soon. And Fitz needs to go back on the nice list. More on that next chapter.**

 **REPLIES:**

 **KOTLC 1 Fan: It's nice to hear that the suspense is there! I'm sorry I tormented you with a cliffhanger, but now you can finally know what happens! Thanks for being a continuous reader!**

 **Mysterious M: Yeah... sorry for the infrequent updates. This fall has been crazy. Oh, and if you're referring to... what happens to Forkle in Lodestar, I'm just as upset as you. I can't decide what I want to do with Forkle in my fic, but if anything bad happens to him it won't be easy for me ;(**

 **Let's get this party started!**

 **Word count: 2,603**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

SOPHIE PACED THE FLOOR OF HAVENFIELD.

Elwin was crouched over the couch, a dozen colorful elixirs lying around him in disarray. He was looking worriedly at Linh. She was so weak she could barely raise her head. Parts of her silver-tipped hair had been burned away, her clothing was ripped, and blisters covered her arms.

At least she was here. They couldn't say the same for Tam.

Sophie had hated having to call Elwin, but since Chaia was missing, she hadn't had a choice. Not if she wanted Linh to be okay. But from the second he had arrived, he'd bombarded Sophie and Tiergan with a ton of questions—enough to make Tiergan spontaneously light leap away. Most of them Sophie couldn't even answer without giving away something important, but she had tried her best for Linh's sake. Sophie honestly didn't know how much she could trust Elwin. He seemed trustworthy—but she had learned from experience that people weren't always like they seemed.

Linh coughed, startling Sophie. "Good," Elwin told her. "Get the smoke out of your lungs." He patted her back as her shallow breathing dissolved into a loud fit of choking coughs. When she'd quieted again, he helped her down another elixir to soothe her throat.

Sophie felt her fist clench. They might not know where the Neverseen were hiding away now, but sooner or later, mark her words, she was going to make them pay. They'd taken away Keefe, they'd taken away Calla, and they'd taken away Alluveterre—Tiergan had decided to let it burn, since it could no longer function as a secure base.

Now they'd taken Tam, and she could only hope that she'd be able to get him back.

Whenever she thought of her captive friend, a searing pain shot through her heart. He'd barely even been involved in the Black Swan for a month—and hadn't taken any vows. He'd done nothing to deserve what had happened to him.

Sophie had seen what the Neverseen's torture, in one form or another, did to people. Dex. Keefe. Herself.

She couldn't let that happen to Tam.

Just then Elwin stepped away, inviting Sophie closer to Linh. "She's ready to talk to you," he explained. Then he left the room to give them some privacy.

Linh looked a lot better than when Sophie had found her. She was dressed in a fresh white tunic and pale blue skirt, which complimented her anguished eyes. Her expression seemed to emanate with a newfound determination, her blisters had shrunk down to a more manageable size, and her singed hair was halfway through the process of growing back in thanks to Elwin's fast-acting elixirs.

Sophie sat down next to her on the couch. "I'm so sorry," she said. "We were too late to save you guys."

Linh shook her head. When she spoke, her voice was raspy. "It wasn't you fault. There was no warning. We—I, didn't even see them. One moment everything was normal, then my treehouse was on fire, and he—he—" Suddenly, she burst into huge, choking tears.

Sophie reached for her hands. "We'll get him back," she promised. "Just like we'll get Keefe back. I guess we have a lot of rescuing to do—but we'll make it happen. And we know Tam's strong. Maybe he's already escaped."

The words sounded weak, but Linh seemed to cling onto the hope that they were true. "Yeah. He'll be back soon. I know it."

Sophie didn't know how Linh could hold on to her boundless optimism, but she was glad. That made two of them who weren't giving up.

She knew how hard it would be for Linh to ask more questions, but there was one she needed answered. She held up her memory log, which she had brought down from her room earlier, and showed Linh the white flower symbol. "Do you know what this is?"

For a moment Linh's gaze stayed blank, then something seemed to click. "I saw that image! They burned it deep into the ground. It was there when I ran outside—like they were trying to claim the area for something."

Sophie nodded. "Thank you. Wait—Where are you going to be staying now that…"

She could bring herself to say the words. Couldn't accept that their ultra-safe hidden hideout had been compromised. No, _taken._

Linh seemed equally upset. After all, she'd been living there. For a while it had been her home. "Well, I know what Tam would do. He'd stay anywhere but with our parents—I know my father would be thrilled if I came home alone without my _twin."_ She put emphasis on the word twin like she was proud of it. "But Sophie, I think I need to go home. Like it or not, it's part of me, and I need to come to terms with that."

"Careful," Sophie said. "Going home is sometimes hard. Keefe didn't come to terms with anything after he went back home. Things just got… worse."

"I'll be okay," Linh promised. "And I'll leave in a few minutes, too. Thanks to Elwin I'm feeling a lot better—see, if I'm strong enough to stand, I'm strong enough to light leap."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Elwin butted in, hurrying back into the room just as Linh heaved herself unsteadily to her feet. "I appreciate your determination, but you are not going home without my help." He slung his arm around Linh's shoulders, enabling her to straighten up. "You live at Echoshore, right?"

Linh nodded. "Thanks for everything, Sophie," she said. "Without you I might have died."

"Get better, okay?" Sophie said.

Elwin waved as he pulled out a pathfinder and whisked both of them away.

The silence was deafening. Sophie plopped down with a sigh. What she'd said to Linh was true. They had a lot of rescuing to do. She just didn't know how they were going to do it.

With nothing else to do, Sophie wandered down to Calla's tree. There she sat, basking in the dappled light, wondering what the gnome would have done right now in Sophie's place. Maybe something useful. Something that lived up to her name as the Moonlark.

Lately she'd felt like she was always losing. First the cache, then Keefe, now Tam. Lord Cassius joining the Black Swan. Edaline wanting to—although Sophie wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. On one hand, she didn't want Edaline to feel obligated to put her life on the line. On the other, she felt grateful that her mom was doing this to protect her.

Sophie exhaled deeply. She realized she was still clutching her memory log. She flipped idly back to the flower symbol, wondering what kind of plant it was supposed to be. She could ask one of the gnomes—it would be the best course of action—but recently she'd felt as if being around them would bring back sad memories of Calla.

It was fortunate, then, that one came to her.

The gnome was shorter than Calla, wearing different clothing, but somehow bore an uncanny resemblance to Sophie's lost friend. Maybe it was the elaborate braid running down the bad of her head. Maybe it was the abnormally large gray eyes. Maybe it was the graceful spring in her step, the optimistic, beautiful way she carried herself.

Whatever it was, Sophie found herself staring.

"Hello, Sophie," the gnome said. Her voice was fragile and melodic, not as strong as Calla's but still lovely. "Or should I say, Moonlark."

Sophie was too worn out to be surprised anymore. After all, she knew dwarves from Alluveterre had been moved to Havenfield after Calla's death.

"You're part of the Black Swan?"

"In a way. My aunt was more involved than I was. But now that she can't be, I'm doing her part for her."

"What happened to her? Where is she?" Sophie asked.

The gnome smiled sadly and pointed up to the swaying panakes branching up above. "She's right there."

Sophie felt her heart catch in her throat. "Calla was your aunt?"

"Technically she was my great, great aunt. Or, was it three greats? It's hard to keep track of time when you live forever—and I'm young for a gnome! You'll understand in a few hundred years."

Sophie tried to push past the weirdness of that statement. "I'm sorry for never talking to you before. I just…"

"I understand," the gnome said. "Her loss is hard for me, too."

Sophie nodded. "You already know who I am. But what's your name?"

"I am Flori. At your service, Moonlark." A teasing glint was in her eyes as she struck a bow.

"How about just Sophie?"

"Of course."

Flori caught a look at Sophie's memory log. "What is that you're looking at?"

Sophie hesitated a moment, trying to decide if she could trust Flori. But she was related to Calla. And Sophie owed the secret to her for not talking to her all these weeks.

"It's a symbol that has something to do with the Neverseen," Sophie told her. "I feel like the flower is important, but I'm not sure what kind it is."

Flori smiled. "That's easy," she said. "It's a starkflower. My aunt told me she made her famous starkflower soup for you before. When one of these is put into water, the darkness leaks out. Your friend the Shade found them interesting back at Alluveterre."

"Wait, I thought you were living here?"

"I am, but all the gnomes are taking shifts guarding your friends. They're both good elves, and very talented."

"You know that they… took Tam, right?"

Flori nodded mutely. Sophie went back to staring at her memory log.

"So if this is a starkflower, why would they use it as their symbol?"

Flori piped up, "If it helps, the ancient forest-dwellers called them corrupted. Useless. But when us gnomes found out what happens to them in water, we starting calling them pure. The starkflower in blossom is what we all aspire to be. Strong, brilliant, full of potential."

A few of the words caught in Sophie's heads and kept playing over and over. _Corrupted._ _Pure. Potential._ The Neverseen were definitely corrupted, but it was unlikely they saw themselves that way. They were definitely not pure. Full of potential, maybe. But not pure.

Something wasn't clicking into place, but Sophie felt like she was on the verge of unlocking a secret. She repeated some of what Flori had said in her head. Stark Flowers went from being corrupted to pure. _Corrupted, pure. Corrupted, pure._

Then her mind wandered back to the Neverseen kidnapping Tam. Why had they left Linh? They seemed to have needed Tam for something. She remembered Keefe had said they were looking for Shades. So what did Shades do? They controlled shadowvapor. If the Neverseen's plans involved shadowvapor, illumination was also probably involved. And illumination was light… pure light!

Sophie added those new words to the mix. Corrupted, pure light, potential, shadowvapor.

She still didn't have every piece of the puzzle, but she at least knew what she needed to do now.

"Thank you, Flori," Sophie said to the gnome, getting to her feet. "I think I know what's next!"

"You're welcome," Flori said. "Take care, Sophie."

The last view she caught of Flori as she was running toward the house was the gnome gently putting her arms around Calla's tree and whispering something into the bark.

"You want to know what the Lodestar mirror does?" Magnate Leto asked. Sophie looked into the imparter and nodded. He sighed.

The moment she'd entered Havenfield, Sophie had grabbed her imparter and hailed Magnate Leto. He was sitting in his office at Foxfire, sorting some kind of paperwork, and looking stressed. But she appreciated it when he stopped what he was doing to talk to her.

"I think it's important," Sophie said. "And I already know that mirror is different. When my abilities were broken, it affected me way worse than all the other light. I know you like to keep the messages of the mirrors secret, but I think I can find out what _this_ means." She showed him the starkflower symbol. She was half hoping he'd recognize it, but nothing besides confusion showed in his eyes.

"I've never seen this before," he said slowly. "But, Sophie, I think you'll agree we have more important matters to deal with. Like the issues of the cache. And both Mr. Tam and Mr. Sencen."

Sophie ignored the mention of Keefe. "I know the cache, and Tam, are important. But maybe this will help us save them.

"Well," he said. "I guess you never know. Alright, I'll tell you the meaning. But don't get too excited—it's not as interesting as you think." He paused.

"And what the mirror does is…" Sophie prompted.

"You kids." Magnate Leto scowled. "Always so impatient. But back to the point. What the mirror does is reflect pure light. It teaches prodigies that true power comes from somewhere deep. I think that's likely why you experienced such an intense reaction. You have far more potential than the average elf."

And with those words, something finally, _finally_ clicked.

"So you'd say that potential and pure light are related?" Sophie asked, excitement bubbling up inside her.

"Well, yes. I'd even go so far to say they're loose synonyms in the Elvin world. Those with great potential radiate more light than those with little to achieve."

Then a huge part of the puzzle snapped together. The Neverseen were using someone with hidden potential as their metaphorical starkflower. Then… then, Sophie assumed, they'd draw out that potential, or pure light, in some form. And Shades had something to do with the process. Maybe…

Sophie gasped. "They're trying to draw the shadowvapor out of someone!"

"What?" Magnate Leto said. "Sophie, isn't guessing their objectives this early on a bit of gamble?"

"Maybe, but I know it's true. It fits completely! The Neverseen take their "starkflower" and purge their minds of shadowvapor, leaving just the pure light! And, remember before I healed Prentice, you told me that Tam had purged his mind of shadowvapor. You said that exact word. During the healing, everything was so bright it burned. Don't you see, they're doing what Tam did to Prentice, only on a larger scale! I don't know where Keefe fits in yet, but he could be the starkflower. Or he could have some other role they've planned out for him."

In her excitement, she'd forgotten all about her reluctance in talking about Keefe. She'd even forgotten about the pain of losing Calla—the flowers reminded Sophie of her. It felt nice to be so sure of herself again, after so many months of darkness.

Magnate Leto looked overwhelmed. His expression looked like he'd been hit in the face with a pan. "You might actually be right," she said. "I just can't believe—Sophie, I want you to know I am so proud of you. I know sometimes it seems like I'm always arguing against and trying to stop you from doing what feels right to you—but that's only because it's my job to keep you safe. When I look back to the confused, naive twelve year old Fitz brought to the lost cities… You've come so far, Sophie. You're finally stepping into the role we designed for you."

Sophie wasn't completely sure what that meant. But the pride in his voice rooted itself into her heart, giving her confidence.

"We need to go see Prentice again," she said.

Magnate Leto nodded. "Agreed."

* * *

 **Question of the chapter (lol):**

 **What ability would you like to have if you were an elf?**

 **Let's see if this gets any replies.**


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